#Do Wyll and Karlach kiss? Didn't get a chance to try

[huhoowho]

Can a mindflayer still get a kiss? *tightly curled up😖 *kisses!🥰

[bg-brainrot]

Hugs for a Vampire (Astarion x GN!Reader) - Chapter 17: After Your Victory

Chapter 17: After Your Victory

Each chapter can be read as a standalone hug.

Pairing: Astarion x GN!Reader (Rogue!Tav)

Genre: Fluffy, Filling in Canon

Rating: Teen

Tags: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, POV Second Person, Act 3, Canon-typical violence, post-cazador, tw: burning Astarion, fix-it, the only non-canon compliant hug bc screw the canon in this case

WC: 3.4k words, 17/18 chapters

Summary: Less canon-compliant than the rest, timeline shifting was needed here, but set after defeating the brain. Astarion realizes that he's not alone, not when Rogue!Tav and his companions are there for him.

Ao3 | [Hug16][Hug18] | Hugs for a Vampire Masterlist

This time you can say it definitively: it's over. 

All it took to get here was months of travel, combat, and conflict resolution– plus an ungodly amount of luck. Being honest with yourself, the gods were only ever another hurdle to overcome. 

As if you needed a reminder of how far you've come in the past few months, you'd been joined in your fight against the Netherbrain by an incredibly motley crew of people. Aside from your own, close companions, your allies spanned races, factions, talents– realms. When even some of your former enemies showed up to aid you, you knew that this oversized brain didn't stand a chance.

And it didn't. 

In a show of strength the likes of which Baldur’s Gate hasn’t seen in years, you and your allies brought down the Netherese abomination. Your chest swelled with pride at those gathered, your brain burned as your tadpole melted away. 

Right now though, you don’t have time to admire your handiwork. It’s now a mad dash to not plummet to the ground on a floating death trap of brain matter. The brain is wracked with wave after wave of psionic energy and with each pulse the fleshy beast seems to lose control. 

You had been acutely aware of the potential downfalls to fighting the Netherbrain and ensured that each of your allies was equipped with a Scroll of Featherfall for this very purpose. Seeing them each unfurl their scrolls, brings a sly smile to your face– finally, hoarding dozens of scrolls came in handy. That’s not to say that the resulting escape will be any less daring.

As the brain floats through Baldur’s Gate in a final, futile attempt to flee, magic is hurriedly cast, summons are quickly dismissed, and your allies rush toward you. Ever leading the charge, you sprint to the edge of the aberration and leap off into the city below. Your companions are right behind you, Karlach’s elated yell carrying in the breeze. “Did that really just work?!” You turn toward them as you fall, and despite the wind buffeting your face, you can clearly see them all, diving safely. Among them, a silver-haired head snags your attention. You catch a wink from his red eyes which you promptly return with a blown kiss before turning back around, ready to focus on landing.

You and your companions land near the water, on one of the remaining intact piers on the Baldur’s Gate docks. As the rest finish landing, a moment of enraptured silence falls over the group and you all watch the Netherbrain land in an explosive splash in the water. The lifeforce finally ebbs out of it, and you take a deep breath, one you hadn’t realized you needed.

The lingering presence in the back of your mind, always subtly trying to influence you, is gone. Your mind feels light, blissfully empty. You almost forgot what it felt like to have your thoughts be solely yours, and the relief you feel is incalculable.

You turn toward the group, to see how they’ve all fared and if they feel the same euphoric calm you do. They certainly seem to be experiencing the full spectrum of emotions after your ordeal– Gale’s eyes seem wistful as he looks over the Chionthar, Lae’zel seems torn between pride at your accomplishment and concern over the fate of Orpheus, Wyll is looking down at his hands in open contemplation. Then there is Astarion.

His smile is blinding to you even on a bad day, but today? Today it is utterly radiant, his pure glee is infectious. He sees you staring and, somehow, his grin grows wider. 

“I’m still standing in the sun, this is incredible!” His words are as happy as he looks, the awestruck tone reminds you of a child receiving an unexpected treat. “Maybe whatever it changed in me was permanent?”

The idea that he could remain in the sun, free of the tadpole and without sacrificing countless souls almost feels too good to be true. But there he is, standing in the sun. Joy fills your heart at the thought that he’ll still be able to bask in the sun’s rays, that perhaps that picnic idea wasn’t as far-fetched as you’d feared. “Maybe,” you agree, smiling back at him. “It’s the least that little bugger could do for free passage!”

He giggles, a joyous little thing that sounds like the sweetest melody to your ears. “Right you are, love. So what’s next for us? The world is our oyster, and she has many pearls we can choose from!”

You walk a bit along the pier, as you consider the question. So much of the city is now in shatters, waiting to be rebuilt. Your companions have so many loose ends that require attention. But right now, all you want to do is appreciate what you’ve all accomplished here today. Turning back to him and the rest of the waiting group, you say, “I think a celebration is in order.”

“Yes, we should see if the Elfsong is still standing,” Astarion says, a pensive finger tapping on his chin. He laughs again and continues, “I won’t imbibe, but I'll be happy to be away from here and in your company.” His delight is so very palpable, you want it to consume you for the foreseeable future. You step toward him, as if entranced by promises of a bright, sunny future together.

But reality has a way of rearing its ugly head at the worst possible moments.

“Soldier…” You hear Karlach’s pained call from the end of the pier. The tone in her voice immediately brings you pause, wrenching you out of a lovestruck stupor. You turn toward her to see her standing alone, looking up at the beautiful Baldurian sky.

“Karlach?” Taking several long strides toward her, there’s a rising panic in your throat that you don’t quite know the cause of– you just know you need to be with her.

“We did it, soldier.” She gives a shaky sigh– a sigh of relief or grief, it’s hard to tell. “The city’s going to be alright. And so are you.”

What happens next is a few of the most difficult minutes you’ve had the ill-fortune of experiencing in your life. The whole while you feel taut as a bowstring, ready to snap, ready to dive into the hells themselves to save one of the best friends you’ve ever had, may ever have. However when Wyll steps forward, ready and willing to jump into the abyss with Karlach, you remember yourself– that there are others here who need you.

You love her– so very, very much and your heart feels like it’s breaking, but, at the same time, your heart is here, with the companions who still look to you as their leader, with the vampire who claimed it so many moons ago. To turn to look back at him, only to find his expression slack with worry– are you leaving me so soon? it says – and you know what you must do.

So you let this part of your heart break off. You watch through tear-filled eyes as she and Wyll disappear into a fiery blaze. The last thing you see is a weak salute from a wincing Karlach.

A somber silence takes over your party, now two members smaller. It feels like an arm is missing, but you dare not say it. Instead, as their leader, you furiously wipe your tears and return back to the important matters at hand. “Well, we’ll have to visit Avernus soon, but for now, we need to focus. Are we all in for the Elfsong?”

Astarion, worry wiped from his face, is eager to answer, “I honestly don’t mind what we do, once we get– ow!” His sudden yelp has your head spinning toward him, and you see him looking down at his hand, as if it’s betrayed him.

“Love?”

“What the– oh no, oh gods.” Sheer panic shows on his face, his voice reaching an uncomfortable pitch. Before you even see it, you hear his hands start to sizzle, dissipating to dust in the sun just like Petras’s did at Fraygo's only a few weeks ago. His face begins to crack and hiss before your very eyes, and it’s almost like your brain refuses to process exactly what’s happening to the man in front of you. He should be fine, it tells you. He’s been standing in the sun for minutes.

However blank your expression is, Astarion’s is the opposite. It’s full of sorrow, full of loss, full of dread– even in the midst of being torn asunder by the rays of the sun you can see the emotion on his face clearly. “Well… it was… it was nice while it lasted.” His tone is joking, despite the visible pain in his face. He follows it with a scream, “Argh, I’m sorry, I – I have to go!”

His desperate scream is like a slap in your face. “Oh gods,” you breathe out, assuming a battle ready stance. You’re not sure who you hope to fight, the sun? But you know that your love is in danger and, unlike the past two centuries, where his cries came unanswered, you’re here to answer the call.

Before you can so much as get to him, he’s running, movements wild and clumsy in his panic. You’re not sure how fast the sun can slay a vampire, but you know that this pier is far too long, that the shade of the far-off buildings feels out of reach. What if he can’t make it?

No, you think. No. I just lost Karlach and Wyll. I can’t lose you too.

Just before this you had asked him if you could win this. He’d said, “I can't say for sure. But we’ve come through a lot already, it would hardly do to fail now.” His words ring through your ears, and it just won’t do for him to die now. 

You take off after him, feet carrying you forward on instinct. He’s always been faster than you and right now fear has made him even faster. But you are also not alone. Calling back to your team, you yell orders like an experienced general, “Jaheira, Longstrider now! Gale, toss me a Scroll of Darkness! Shadowheart, we need healing!”

Continuing your sprint, you feel the effects of Longstrider take over. You turn back for the scroll only to find that Lae’zel has catapulted herself behind you. “The wizard could never have thrown this far. Tchk, you should know better.” She hands you the scroll and you take it with a grateful nod. Shadowheart is not far behind, and you turn to keep running. 

“Astarion!” you cry, as you see him stumble ahead of you, falling to the ground. You’re on him in one long leap, and bracing your legs around him, you try to block as much of the sun as you can with your own body as you unfurl the scroll. Despite your shaking hands, you’re able to read the spell off the piece of paper with a strength you weren’t aware you possessed, “Tenebrum!”

A deep darkness bursts forth, overtakes you, and envelopes the entire pier in an inky black cloud. Dropping the used parchment, your hands reach forward blindly to grasp for your vampire, desperate to feel him breathing.

They find purchase on a piece of armor, and you shake him. “Astarion?” Your voice is soft, throat ragged from yelling. A groan answers you, and your body drops in relief. You kneel by his prone form, hands outlining it as you try to find his shoulders, his neck, his soft head of hair. You nudge him, willing him to get up, as you say, “Don’t you dare die now. Don’t you dare leave me.”

Rustling follows in the darkness, and you can feel Astarion’s body shift as he turns to sit up. His hands clasp your searching ones, their grip firm, and you sigh in beautiful relief. “You’re here,” he says. While you can’t see his face, you can hear the shock in his voice. “You’re really here?”

You mean to respond, to say something along the lines of, ‘Of course, you idiot. I would never abandon you when you need me.’ But nothing comes out as your breath hitches in your throat. It’s only after trying and failing to take another breath that you realize that you’re sobbing. Your chest heaves as an overwhelming sense of relief and loss overtake you. 

So instead you just wrap your arms around him, bury your head into his neck and nod. His arms return your embrace without hesitation, gripping you to him in a crushing hold. You don’t mind–  not how hard he’s squeezing, not the scent of ash and singed skin, not the trembling that runs through both of your bodies. 

Beyond your shrouded embrace, you can hear Shadowheart calling your names in the Darkness, trying to get close enough to heal Astarion. Your broken sobs still make speaking hard, but you try. “H-here– hic– we’re… we’re here!”

Shadowheart’s healing magic illuminates Astarion momentarily in the pitch black, and, while you can’t see her, you hear a sorrow in her voice which matches your own. As much as Astarion claimed them to be nothing more than allies, each and every one of them cared for him deeply. They were all here to see him through this.

Sniffling, tears trailing down your face and onto his neck, you know your voice is barely there. But you need him to know. You whisper to him, “We’re all here for you. You’re safe with us.”

And like a stubborn lock that finally gives, he collapses into you. His full body weight bears down on you, and it’s all you can do to keep from toppling over. Yet you remain solid, fully ready to support him as long as he needs.

He curls into you, his soft head of curls tickling your neck as he burrows. To your surprise, you don’t feel tears drip onto you, you don’t notice any sobs except your own lingering shakes. Instead you only feel a soft kiss press against your jaw before he starts saying your name.

Something about the way he whispers your name like a litany, how he clings to you like a lifeline– it reminds you of the first real hug you shared, that one dark Shadowlands night. It felt like everything, the cruelty of the world, the problems you were facing, had all but melted in the face of the love between you. You know that that’s impossible. That, like today, problems would continue to appear before you. But you find that that doesn’t matter.

For at least this singular, fleeting moment, nothing will come between you.

It is but a moment though. As a rogue, you know the spell Darkness well. You only have ten minutes of shelter total, likely only a few minutes left. You hesitate to break apart, but Astarion’s safety is your number one concern. “Love,” you begin, pulling away with urgency in your voice. “We need to go.”

You don’t need to see him to sense his reluctance to part, but he agrees anyway, “You’re right. There are still several hours before nightfall.”

Not releasing his hands, you stand up. “Everyone is right outside of the Darkness. We should be able to take a scroll from Gale to get you out of here, alright?”

“Alright,” he confirms, squeezing your hands as he stands as well.

“And please don’t take off again, dear. My soul just about left my body,” you chide, but the tremor in your voice is very real.

He laughs, a weak, breathy thing. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m… just used to looking out for my own survival.”

You grab his arm in the darkness, as if to impress upon him your next words. “Well, I’m not going anywhere. And here I’d thought you’d gotten used to having me around.”

“Oh my dear, as if I could ever get used to having you,” he says, slipping into his low, rumbling voice. You know he’s shouldering so much grief right now, mourning the man who’d spent months in the sun after two-hundred years without– but you also know that, despite it all, he’s still Astarion. And his relief seems to be winning out for now.

So you laugh, swat at him, and get to business. 

Halsin and Jaheira wild shape into Owlbears to help block out the sun and Gale is ready with a Scroll of Dimension Door for you both. He hands it to you and says, “We’ll deal with the rest of these loose ends once you’ve both made it to safety. And you.” He turns to Astarion with a reluctant little smile. “You’re not allowed to burn to a crisp unless I have some hand in it, so don’t muck this up.”

Astarion gives him a toothy grin before replying, “Jealous of a little bit of light in the sky? How unbecoming.”

You ignore their pretend spat as you open up the scroll in your hands. Grabbing Astarion’s arm before he can add another verbal jab, you speak the incantation.

A bright light flashes momentarily as a glowing blue door appears. “Shall we?” you ask Astarion, taking a step forward.

“Well, if you insist!” he says, readily following you through the door.

–

It turns out the Elfsong made it, though it has certainly seen better days. What matters is that the beer is flowing, the music is lively, and the company is as spirited as ever. While you’d had to say goodbye to Lae’zel, the rest of your friends and allies had all made it to the tavern for a bit of post-calamity revelry. 

You’re certain it will be a night to remember, but before you can get on with the party, you pull your pale, silver-haired vampire aside. “Astarion?” you venture, gesturing toward the group’s empty room with your head.

He raises an eyebrow at you suggestively, and you only roll your eyes in response before walking into the room.

“What’s the matter, dear?” he asks, settling his hands on your hips once you’ve closed the door behind you.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay?” you ask, eyes searching his face. He’d been surprisingly… himself since the pier. Despite all that has transpired, despite losing the sun he’s treasured the entire time you’ve known him.

Astarion smiles at you, tilting his head at you in an endearing little sway. “I don’t think I’ve ever been better.”

“Okay,” you start cautiously, as if you are afraid to be the one to break the bad news to him. “Even after, you know?” You gesture up into the air warily, your point clear.

“Ah, yes. That.” His tone is flat, but the smile doesn’t leave his face. He continues in a much cheerier voice, “That is certainly not ideal. However, I’m choosing to focus on my newfound freedom. I’m free of the parasite, free of Cazador, free to forge my own path.” His red eyes bore into you intensely as he finishes, “With you.”

Despite the countless hours you’ve spent with this man, despite thinking that you may finally understand how his brain ticks, he surprises you. He shows you growth and wisdom. Makes you fall in love, again and again. 

You blush under his affectionate gaze, and reply with an embarrassed, “Oh. I’m glad then.”

He laughs and raises a hand to your cheek. His fingers barely make contact, leaving feather light traces along your skin. “I don’t think you’ve realized that what you’ve given me is greater than any amount of sunlight.”

Thinking back to the various things you’ve granted him– blood, equipment, various stolen goods– none of them stand out to you much. So you can’t resist asking, “What have I given you?”

“Everything,” he answers, simply. Before you can so much as reason what he’s said, his fingers lace in your hair, pulling you in for a kiss. Your lips touch and all reason is left to the wayside.

The kiss is soft, sweet, and you feel it reverberate throughout your body. It whispers words of ardent love, it vows promises of what’s to come, and it speaks of deep, fervent gratitude.

If you had the capacity, you might try to argue with him, to tell him that he doesn’t need to be grateful for something as simple as your affection. But you suppose that’s something you’ll have to show him, prove to him time and again. Perhaps he will realize through a lifetime of love and plenty more hugs.

[oops-all-concrete]

Hello lovelies, 💘HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!💘

I'm back with more BG3 headcanons! Today's prompt is;

💕Modern AU; Ways the BG3 (romanced) companions are idyllicly sweet with Tav!💕

No spoilers! Tags are; A whole heckin lot of fluff and cuteness!

Lae'zel -

You have to be careful with what you say around Lae'zel. Made a minor comment 3 months ago that you wanted to revisit somewhere in the Sword Coast? Get packing, you guys are all booked to go. Asked Lae'zel to get you candy on the way home? She has 3 full bags. Say that comment her folks made last time you visited made you uncomfortable- you have a paragraph text apology from all of them the next day. She's not just someone who wants to spoil Tav, she fucking will. (If Tav manages to talk her out of going nuts with the pampering, she's surprisingly sentimental. You bet she keeps a rock in her pocket that reminds her of Tav)

Shadowheart -

She is so excited to post you. She doesn't like social media and tends to keep to herself, but after watching Tav post pictures of them both, she wanted to do the same. The minute she gets even the smallest romantic gesture, she's scrapbooking, she has a wall of Polaroids joined by a horde of hand made sketches, she's putting together little snack baskets and mailing them to Tav, she's about as obviously head over heels as a person can be, really. She's always got a camera aimed at Tav, even if they're just for her. (A good 90% are just for her eyes)

Wyll -

This man never plays games/gets online with both sides of the headphones in. It doesn't matter if the game is online, offline, urgent, time sensitive, dependent on his concentration- if Tav so much as makes a peep, he's out of his seat and across the room. Hells, he takes every chance he gets to go give Tav some attention. In the drift of leaving the waking world, Tav will definitely hear a little "One minute, Tav needs me" despite them not asking. Some footsteps. And then moments later, the warmth of the duvet being tucked all over their body and a gentle kiss to the cheek. Whispered "I love you"s and then a quiet. "I'm going to hop off for a few hours." So you can have some quiet.

Karlach -

She's one of those people that really makes you realise you have good taste in other people. Like, you can't think of a time you went on a walk and she didn't pick up some trash, help an elderly person across the street, immediately offer her seat to a pregnant woman. No matter how prideful Tav might be or not, there's a pride in the admiring looks other people give her. Little girls pass in the street and say "mum, I want to be like her when I grow up!" Everything she does makes Tav proud to be with her, yet somehow Tav is always the one under a spotlight to her. "Oh, me and my partner-" this. "Oh, my partner-" that. "I'm so proud of my Tav. Ugh, I am so lucky" she insists at every turn.

Gale -

He's a night owl, much to Tara's dismay. Wether that's because he can't sleep, he likes being awake in the dark hours or- his brain won't stop nattering at him for a gods damned minute, but either way. He's probably working, quietly cleaning, organising Tavs things so they don't have to worry. In quiet moments, between possibly making them breakfast because of course he's up that early- he's just kissing Tav on the forehead, gently, trying not to wake them. He needs them to sleep but there is not a moment in his day where he doesn't think: "Does Tav know I love them? Can I remind them once more? Even if its just for my peace of mind?" Because he will not rest if he has an inkling his live for Tav isn't at the forefront of their mind.

Astarion -

If you even suggest to this man that you should do matching outfits, he's excited. He always wants to take the wheel, but also wants Tav to have a foot in the idea. He will give ideas left and right, opinions up and down. He doesn't care if it's a date or not, cringe solstice photos, or just gym clothes, he's all for it. If you guys didn't have matching pyjamas already, you have them now, congrats. (If he's still a bloodsucker, he'll definitely still go out of his way to learn how to cook for Tav. Tokyo Ghoul rules though, so Tav gets to taste test a lot. Only the best for his little capri-sun) Overall he's just unashamed and excited to be with someone who very obviously wants to be his, visibly as possible.

(Bonus Halsin!)

Halsin -

This man lives for shared activity. He's quite alright on his own and can allow Tav their space, but going to get massages, haircuts/styles, wine tasting is his total vibe. Just relaxed gatherings together. Nobody lives a spa day like this man. It allows a level of intimacy that nature intends. Cleansing. Careful. Close. He will learn how to do Tavs hair and makeup if asked. Will take pleasure in being able to undress them and put them to bed at the end of a long day. Go on hikes and camping trips, walks through the woods, carving names into rocks and bringing back souvenirs to press into a book that's only getting thicker.

[bg3galore]

Piercing headcanons

Wyll

-Has both of his lobes and upper lobes pierced, but he had to be heavily reassured to take the initiative since he had a very set perspective on piercings- that they were trashy and wouldn't suit him due to his status.

-Was super anxious and doubting himself as he was sat down to have an initial talk about what he wanted with the piercer; his palms were so sweaty and he looks to you for comfort- you give him a soft reassurance about how he's being brave getting out of his comfort zone and it's enough to have him dive in.

-Once he first saw it in a mirror he was kind of surprised at first, that he made such a big deal about it in the first place but after a short while they grow on him tremendously.

-He's very consistent with after-care instructions and is quick to jump into some research on more piercings he could potentially try (likes the idea of getting an eyebrow piercing sometime in the future); he always gets your reactions and opinions first though for his own peace of mind.

Karlach

-Karlach is renowned for being bold and a constant source of strength and so her tastes in piercings reflects this; she jumps at the chance for a septum and two industrial piercings.

-She's super grateful and sweet to her piercer and gets them a card and some chocolate after as a thank you on top of their rightful coin; very keen listener for any tips or tricks for after-care and stories of previous clients.

-Will insist on talking to and consequently befriending everyone in the parlour and comforting strangers (especially if they have a fear of needles); so you'll be stuck there for a while- if it's you she's comforting however then you'll be getting a whole lot of loving, kisses, caresses, words of assurance and compliments on how adorable but smokin' hot you are.

-Quite literally doesn't feel anything when getting pierced, which is due to the fact that she can handle the hottest flames of Avernus with an infernal engine; a needle isn't going to do shit for her and it kind of makes her proud that she can be so strong, it makes her feel reliable in a way as both a person and a partner.

Shadowheart

- Has a daith, helix, navel and lobe piercing; she brings you along everytime just in case she passes out or there's a complication.

- Because she has a navel, when she's not going out in public she'll wear more and more crops around you so she can flaunt it; which she'll also use to take a playful stab at you whenever you get caught glancing at her.

-Thoroughly enjoys picking out and matching jewellery sets out with you at market dates.

-Is usually pretty good with handling the pain, she just hisses when it's initially raw but apart from that she's calm and collected.

Gale

- Like Wyll he didn't feel like piercings would really suit him, now that he was past his "prime" but eventually with some reassurance he gets his lobes pierced.

-He's pleasantly surprised about the different styles and accessories he can wear; he makes sure to color-code them to his outfit everyday, it's become apart of his morning routine- if not his favourite part after kissing you of course.

-Takes the after-care instructions completely serious from the very beginning and is a delight to work on; he doesn't move around or anything he just completely trusts in the piercer and the process.

-Is considering on getting his lobes stretched since they look really cool but hasn't made his move yet, he's just enjoying all your compliments for now.

Lae'zel

-Has a two industrials and a helix piercing, no thanks to Shadowheart-

-Got her helix piercing along with Shadowheart cause she kept teasing and saying she couldn't handle it cause she was a chicken- so she proved her wrong there and then and sat down and got her helix pierced so now they match.

-Takes the pain like a true champion, although she won't admit her eyes did ever so slightly start to get glassy.

-She gets slightly flustered when you compliment her piercings out of the blue, calling you a "troublesome ishtik" and simply hiding her face into you; or putting you to work somehow so she can cool down without your teasing, she does like the attention but she doesn't know what to say or do when you're in control of the situation.

Astarion

-Where ever he goes he wants to amaze and surprise everyone; or potentially horrify them so he immediately goes for a tongue piercing, helix piercing and an orbital conch- he lives for reactions.

-The type to say he barely felt a thing, after crying and hissing dramatically throughout the whole process; even after the piercer offers some extra time to prep himself.

-He completely downplays the piercers after-care instructions and ends up getting his tongue piercing infected; after that he never underestimates or ignores piercing after-care, but you unfortunately need to listen to him whinge about abstaining from kissing and oral for a while.

-He's very grateful that you put in the extra effort to help it heal by cooking him food that he could handle and holding his hand through the whole affair; he'll be sure to repay you handsomely-

Halsin

-Halsin being Halsin, he isn't afraid to try anything at least once so when he thought about piercings naturally he wanted something that would expand his horizons and well; he got both nips are pierced as a result-

-He has thought about getting an eyebrow piercing or a septum but he's just taking everyday as it comes at this point and taking every opportunity to flaunt his body while he's at it.

-Initially he's consistent with the after-care but after a few days he forgets and let's nature take it's course which somehow works out for him; although he doesn't tell his piercer or permit it to anyone.

-Always loves how hot in the face you get looking at them, it's an easy way of him to make you crumble when you're feeling a bit needy.

[animentality]

You ever think about how the fandom will go nuts trying to explain how Astarion is ~basically~ an elven child and how he’s absolved of all guilt for everything he’s done by the abuse he endured and yet… on the other hand we also have Gortash, who very literally was a child when sold to the hells and put through who knows what manner of abuse, saw who knows what messed up shit, who has had chances to do better, yes, but has also had to fight to survive and be more than just a beggar on the streets once he escaped. And he’s the totally evil and irredeemable one according to most fans. I’m not trying to woobify him btw, it’s just always interesting how every other character gets defended on the basis of “but cult conditioning/abuse/etc” but Gortash is uniquely the worst man alive. Which he is, but also. Cmon. Astarion has a long list of innocent victims and is a razors edge away from becoming the next cazador in any given play through and yet he’s a perfect uwu angel apparently. This isn’t about saying Gortash isn’t evil, this is about saying he’s not drastically more evil than a lot of other nuanced characters in this game who get defended by the fandom masses.

ANON if I could kiss you, I would commit tax evasion with you.

THIS.

Like I know Gortash is awful, but so is fucking everyone.

Shadowheart can become a Dark Justiciar and do awful things for Shar. Lae'zel and the githyanki are a bunch of pricks who kill their own kids for showing weakness and kill innocent people all the goddamn time. Minthara obviously slaughters a bunch of innocent refugees, if you allow her to, and as a drow, probably committed a cavalcade of evil actions.

Gale's blind ambition could've nuked a fucking town. He might not have intended to become a living bomb, but he did, and by running around Faerun, he WAS putting literally everyone within like five miles of him in mortal danger. Wyll would've killed Karlach if you weren't there, and he expresses this horror, because he has definitely killed innocents for Mizora before.

Astarion would've gladly become Cazador 2.0, if you didn't stop him. He might've started out ok, but he would descend into that same evil, using you until there was nothing left of you, and treating others the way he was treated, because he sees himself as a god now.

Even fucking Karlach...who is a sweetie, and god I love her...well fuck, didn't Gortash accuse her of knowing just how shady his shit was? She was a desperate kid, yes, and he definitely took advantage of her, but he explicitly calls her out for working for him, even though she knew he was shady (if not a Banite). Plus she was his bodyguard for years. As if your bodyguard wouldn't know you were being a peace of shit?

The WHOLE POINT of Baldur's Gate 3 is that you and your companions are defined by your choices.

The option EXISTS to SAVE THESE PEOPLE.

THERE IS NO OPTION TO SAVE GORTASH.

The game gives you the option of seeing him die one way or the other way.

I'm just SAYING it's not totally fair to act as if Gortash is truly irredeemable, when out of all the villains, he at least had an idea of a better world, even if it was still self serving and frankly awful.

He was slightly better than the Dark Urge, and they GET the choice of redeeming themselves.

He never does. And maybe he wouldn't have taken it, but that's really not the point.

You hit the nail on the head, bud.

Gortash is evil, no doubt, this is true, he is not just a victim of circumstances, he made every wrong decision he could've made...

But the fandom has no problem woobifying Astarion even though that scene with Sebastian is fucking soul wrenching.

They raise their hackles at Gortash, as though he's been alive for 200 years and lured thousands to their deaths/vampirism, and they forget that Lae'zel is absolutely awful, and approves every time you murder children in front of her.

And Shadowheart spent her childhood learning to torture people.

You can say well their crimes aren't equivalent- and yes, that is true, HOWEVER.

Remember that you have met them when they were powerless.

If given power...if they had never been mindcontrolled by parasites...well shit, they might've fucking killed you.

They might've become tyrants themselves. I know it's purely conjecture on my part, I just kinda...I don't even necessarily want a redeemed Gortash storyline.

I'm fine with him just being a villain!

I just also have a working brain that doesn't understand the reflexive urge to say, he couldn't redeem himself if he tried.

I think, in this fictional world of course, that redemption should be possible. I think if they are honestly trying, and they repay the debts they incurred, then it might be justified.

But we didn't get that choice, and neither did he, and honestly, with what the game presents...I can whole heartedly say no, he wouldn't have redeemed himself. Even if he could, he would not have done it.

But the possibility does exist.

Trying to deny it makes you look like a hypocrite as you insist Ascended Astarion is still an uwu baby.

Like nah, sweetie. Good luck with that.

[blackjackkent]

As I have done for the last two major patch drops, here's a collection of things that stood out for me in the Patch 7 patch notes! :D

There's quite a lot of them - and this isn't even close to the whole list of changes, so definitely check out the full patch notes here if you're interested.

-----

First of all, the things I'm actively excited about:

Introducing 'Evil Endings': Brand new cinematic endings for the truly villainous playthroughs. (Exciting! I've started pondering what my next BG3 liveblog will be - though I might switch to another game for a while first after Rakha is done - and I am starting to lean towards reworking Alexis, my bard, into an evil-run Minthara-mancer. So... intrigued to see more of this in the future!)

Added our very own Mod Manager, which lets you browse, install, and use mods created by the community. (I don't know details about the existing modding process but the new system seems like it'll be pretty intuitive so - hype!)

You can now start Custom Mode games using Honour Mode mechanics when starting a new playthrough. You'll be able to do this via the 'Ruleset' dropdown. (Neat! I may do this as well on my next liveblog playthrough - not the difficulty changes but just forcing me to stick to my choices with one save.)

The kuo-toa that promised to build you an army will now support you in the final battle. Unless they all died in Act I. (Amazing. I'm unironically in love with this addition.)

The help that the Gondians promised for the final battle will now arrive in the form of a friendly Steel Watcher. Apologies from Zanner Toobin for the delay.

Added a dialogue option asking for a kiss in more paths of Wyll's epilogue dialogue.

A bug that had been preventing Wyll’s romance greeting from triggering has now been fixed, so players in Act III who have a stable, loving, and committed relationship with Wyll will now see his romance greeting triggering correctly.

In Act II, Minthara will now react to you having knocked her out in Act I.

Made the romance scene at night with Wyll in Act III unskippable if it triggers to avoid accidentally skipping it and not being able to finish the romance arc.

To improve her chances of survival, Hope now has a new passive called Last Hope that grants her Death Ward for free when she enters combat.

Fixed a bug causing Dark Urge characters to get renamed after using the Magic Mirror. (This threw me for such a loop when I accidentally did it with Rakha.)

When playing as the Dark Urge, if you invite her, Alfira will now actually join your party as a controllable character if there's room for her in your party setup. Temporarily, of course.

Fixed several issues with the portrait that Oskar gives you. Principally, the image on the portrait will now be that of the active character claiming the reward, regardless of their position on the Party Line. (THANK THE GODS. I'm still not over having so many feels about Hector commissioning a portrait of Karlach to have after she was gone, and Oskar cheerfully handing him a painting of Jaheira to look at instead. XD )

Karlach will now tell you her backstory if you reach the point of no return in the Shadow-Cursed Lands even if you didn't confront the paladins of Tyr.

You can now return Mol's eyepatch to her when you find her in the Guildhall.

Fixed the Monastic Robes stretching into a violent-looking point when you wake up on the beach after falling from the nautiloid. (Thank god - this happened all the time with Hector and it drove me crazy. Hopefully this means it's been fixed in other parts of the game too.)

-----

And then the changes and bug fixes that made me laugh:

If Dror Ragzlin finds himself inside the spider pit [in honor mode], he'll try his best to befriend the spiders residing there with a new spell called Arachnid Compulsion so they can band together to fight the real enemy - you.

Malus Thorm has a new Legendary Action called Grasping Appendage. ( Oh dear. 😬 )

We noticed some of you hiccoughing bubbles, so the action for washing yourself with soap and sponges is now called 'Use' instead of 'Consume'.

You can no longer cheese the Leap of Faith trial at the Gauntlet of Shar by just clicking the final platform and letting your character pathfind their way there. Shar threatened to smite us if we didn't fix this one.

Fixed Minthara's body sometimes turning invisible on the Level Up screen. (We sorta liked the floating-head-and-hands look, but hey.) (Eyyyy, I ran into this in Rakha's run and it made me laugh a lot. XD )

Added a new idle animation for Minsc at camp - Boo may or may not have taught him some tai chi.

Karlach will no longer brush the shaved side of her head.

If you're in holographic form in the epilogue, Wyll won't automatically assume he's talking to Lae'zel.

Companions should now be more sympathetic to Astarion fleeing from the sun.

Fixed several issues (related to resurrecting characters via Withers, restructuring the party at night, and automatic camp night scenes) that would trap you in an eternal slumber, unable to end a Long Rest.

Fixed several occurrences of Wyll still having an exclamation mark above his head when he already told you everything he had to say. 

Minthara does, in fact, now have something to say about Orin after you kill her.

Fixed the fade-to-black after Karlach's scene in Avernus at the end of the game, which would give you a very brief glimpse of Game Developer Land.

Fixed some issues with Long Rest: Loading a save made during a Long Rest could cause a crash and you could sometimes get stuck in a Long Rest forever and ever, amen.

Fixed a blocker related to Orin's dagger, which will now respawn near the altar if you hurled her into a chasm and a cultist picked it up before you did. (Because it's bound to her, it would zip back to her corpse in the chasm, lost forevermore.)

Monks' Clench of the North Wind spell now targets up to 2 characters at Level 9. They just have to clench a little harder.

Priestess Gut will no longer hit herself with her own conditions. Silly gob-gob.

We've suggested to Yurgir that when he's invisible he should take advantage of it and actually try to move around a little so that he's harder to find.

Fixed some technical names showing up for each of Ansur's limbs. Naming them all 'Ansur' was the ansur.

Raphael can no longer steal souls from creatures that narratively don't have souls, such as Undead and Constructs.

Kled doesn't have Dror Ragzlin's Legendary Actions anymore. Dror's not one for sharing.

Fixed how the Chest of the Mundane handles item stacks higher than its maximum. (It should no longer gobble up your enormous coin stack and spit back a measly 21 cups in return.)

Prevented summons and followers like Glut from being able to consume Noblestalk. Yes, your Mage Hand probably ate it. No, we don't know where its mouth is.

When Withers resurrects an avatar, the Dream Guardian will no longer immediately prompt another nearby avatar to loot them for a tadpole. Similarly, dead, dismissed avatars will no longer trigger this same prompt. Some decorum, please.

When multiple characters in the party discover a trap or hidden item, only one will comment on it. We figured you don't need four people telling you to watch out for the same trap at the same time.

You can now swap out party members by speaking to the companion you want to replace even if the one you want to replace them with is Wild-Shaped. What your companion will think of you replacing them with a sheep is another story.

Fixed multiple spots where Perception checks were being made through solid objects.

Elminster should no longer react to crimes that don't affect him. (We distracted him with some Stilton.)

Fixed an issue on multiplayer where Gale would briefly appear to be in his undies for the client if the host has the Donate UI open and Gale is wearing magical robes that he can consume.

Fixed a bug that would let you waltz your way through destructible walls without actually destroying them. (You could attempt to attack the wall and your character would pathfind right through it in search of a comfortable spot from which to take a swing.)

Bald characters with the Wet condition will no longer have darker scalps.

You can no longer loot the underwear of non-recruited companions when you knock them out. (Justice for Minthara's dignity! \o/ )

Fixed a split screen issue where Invisible characters would sometimes not render at all for a second player joining the game. We need them to be invisible, but not that invisible.

Fixed a bug where your party members would very quickly change out of their armour and into their cosy camp clothes when you talked to them after having left the Astral Plane. We don't really blame them for being so desperate to hit the hay.

Fixed an issue where resurrecting a mind-controlled Nightsong would cause enemies to become allied to you.

During the final battle, backup companions being called upon with ally abilities will now appear with some clothes on for the occasion.

You can no longer use the Active Search feature to bypass the booby-trapped display case in Ramazith's Tower and pick up the key inside it. Smarty-pantses.

Improved Lumbar support: Lumbar will now stand still after you paid him to hit him.

Fixed a bug where interacting with the crate full of explosive toys in Rivington could cause you to get stuck in an endless loop of crime dialogues (being interrogated and sent to prison) and/or in combat with temporarily hostile NPCs.

Fixed a bug where dropping or selling certain items looted from the Lower City graveyard could cause NPCs to react as though you'd committed the crime of moving a corpse.

Fixed Cordrane the Recent being able to raise a zombie in Sorcerous Sundries when he shouldn't be able to, like when he's dead or Silenced.

Shadowheart is now more engaged with the flora and fauna at camp. (I don't know what this means but I hope it means she plays with the owlbear and Scratch.)

A camp night scene with Shadowheart will no longer trigger if she's not in the party and, uh, also dead.

Fixed Gale's 'splosion sometimes not showing correctly, meaning you'd get a Game Over without knowing why.

Fixed your player character introducing themselves with the wrong name when talking to Mizora.

Fixed Avatar Lae'zel behaving like a companion at the end of the tutorial and telling you (or telling herself) to hurry.

Kagha will now be imbibing if she's at the tiefling party. (I didn't know Kagha could even COME to the tiefling party. O.O Is this if Halsin's dead? )

Fixed Abdirak's self-flagellation idle animation. (Game dev must be a weird job sometimes. :P )

Ward Magmar and Ward Pistle, the duergar at Grymforge, will now make a snide remark if you're playing a small race.

Shadowheart and Lae'zel will now have new equipment if it was taken during the nautiloid escape and they have travelled sufficiently far to realistically acquire it before getting recruited.

Benryn will no longer follow you to camp or leave with you through a waypoint while you're in the process of escorting him out of the burning building at Waukeen's Rest.

Fixed Korrilla being killable in the goblin camp prison after she kills Priestess Gut. This was causing her to spawn as a corpse later on in Act III.

Fixed a bug where leaving the Shadowfell could resurrect an unrecruited Shadowheart and have her turn up at your camp anyway. She just liked the cut of your jib.

Karlach's death scene no longer ends abruptly when a non-gith player chooses to leave with Lae'zel.

Fixed a bug where, if you promised Cazador to bring Astarion to him and Astarion was in your party, you could go to Astarion at camp and tell him to replace himself in your party.

Zanner Toobin will now trigger the self-destruct sequence correctly instead of suddenly forgetting he was supposed to be in a panic because of the Steel Watcher Titan.

Told Devella to be more patient and wait until the end of the dialogue before she moves on to Basilisk Gate after being saved from Dolor.

Jogged Nine-Fingers' foggy memory - she will now recognise you when you bring Jaheira to her after she asked you to.

Shadowheart no longer sometimes still thinks that Viconia is alive after having killed her. Poor thing.

Wulbren will no longer comment on Toobin's daughter being dead if Toobin is not present.

Gave Sticky Dondo more lines to yell to sell his wares in the Guildhall. (Thank fuck tbh.)

Fixed player characters and the Narrator talking over each other when interacting with Minsc's relics in his hidden chamber. (MINSC HAS A HIDDEN CHAMBER? I have some hunting to do with Rakha lmao.)

You can no longer open the barricaded doors at the Crimson Draughts apothecary from the inside. We forgot barricades are supposed to work both ways.

Yoinked Sceleritas Fel's hat back from Helsik's desk.

You should no longer potentially see the great empty void of Game Developer Land after starting the epilogue.

Added more lines for Jaheira and Minsc to exclaim during the battle with the Stone Lord.

Fixed a bug where it was possible to get stuck in a dialogue with the Emperor about killing Gortash if you clicked on Gortash's corpse with Karlach (which starts a dialogue, after which she leaves the party and goes to camp) while, with another character, you also clicked on Gortash's body and sent his gauntlet to Karlach via the context menu right before her dialogue ended and she left the party. Yep. You can read it again if you want.

If you fail a pickpocket attempt at High Hall, your allies will no longer become hostile towards you. We reminded them that the fate of the world lies in the balance and that you play a pretty big part in it, thief or not.

Fixed Gortash's title potentially reverting back to 'Archduke Nominee' when reloading a savegame after the ceremony.

Wyll will no longer talk about hunting down Mizora when she's, like, right there.

The 'Embrace Your Potential' quest will now close if you choose to squelch the Astral-Touched Tadpole beneath your toes like a sentient little grape.

Jaheira's journal could at times say she had something to talk to you about, but then she wouldn't discuss it. She's a bit less tight-lipped now, so you know what to do in the city.

Someone pulled the ol' switcheroo on the Eldritch Knight and Battle Master subclass icons. We've switchereed them back.

Fixed a bug where examining a character and then examining an item would merge both character and item into a monstrous model in a single Examine window. The character would also be T-posing and naked.

Removed the turrets from the ground floor of Wyrm's Crossing since they weren't supposed to be there in the first place and never worked.

Fixed an unreachable fruit porridge in Wyrm's Rock. Makes you wonder how it got there in the first place.

Moved an unreachable book ('On the Greater Healing Potion') at Last Light. (Unironically this has driven me crazy on every playthrough.)

If Minthara's camp trousers get blood on them, the spatters will now be spread across them more tastefully rather than concentrated between the legs. (Holy shit.)

Kerz, the half-orc hireling, was wearing clothes that didn't fit properly. We found a tailor and everything's looking spiffy now.

Fixed some particularly intense and alarming-looking smoke coming out of the chimney at the Rivington General.

Gave a skirt to the chicken lady who mentions a skirt.

Companions in Wild Shape at camp will no longer perform their idle animations as though they are still humanoid.

Companions in Wild Shape at camp will no longer perform their idle animations as though they are still humanoid.

Fixed the animation for the Crawling Claw's footsteps. (Fingersteps?)

Fixed Brynna's clothes clipping through her arm and revealing her armpit. She informed us she was not, in fact, begging for a tickle.

Fixed the Graceful Cloth and Mighty Cloth looking like crop tops on male halflings.

The magicians outside of Sorcerous Sundries were yelling and casting spells so loudly that it was hard to hear your companions over them if you spoke to them nearby. We've toned this down and cleaned up the mix.

Added death vocals ('uurghghhh's) for dragonborn and half-orc NPCs.

Fixed the name of a decorative pot in the Colony, which was lying about being a cookpot.

Tweaked the spikes on the artefact in the dialogue where it passes from Shadowheart over to you so it doesn't look like it's impaling you.

Fixed your hand clipping into your face while smearing poo on it.

Told Wyll he doesn't need to hold his sword threateningly close to the chest of small races during his recruitment dialogue.

Fixed Mizora's body popping when she comes to pay Wyll a visit at camp. Save the popping and locking for the club.

Fixed Volo's hand clipping into your head while he performs his highly professional and sanitary surgical intervention.

Fixed the Dream Guardian's leg getting all jittery when they kneel down to let you stab them. The facade of stoicism breaks a little when you can see their legs turn to jelly.

Fixed a bug where biting off Crusher's toe and then defeating him in a fist fight would result in a cinematic where the toe was still present. An embarrassing inconsistency in an otherwise realistic chain of events. (I noticed this on Rakha's run and was judging you so hard, Larian. XD )

Fixed Shadowheart sometimes turning her head concerningly far over her shoulder during her recruitment dialogue at the Emerald Grove.

Fixed minor pops when playing as Avatar Shadowheart if the artefact explodes and kills Lae'zel. (This can happen???)

Fixed your character snapping their body backwards and wibbly-wobbling around as though trying to pass beneath a cursed limbo stick in the cutscene where Kar'niss approaches you in the Shadow-Cursed Lands.

Fixed the chalice that you hold when talking to Jaheira at Last Light vibrating suspiciously after you set it down on the table.

Fixed a Reconstituted Duellist's line getting cut off prematurely. He really, really wanted you to hear him finish saying 'come to my inner chambers'.

Dark Urge characters who have not cured themselves of Bhaal's influence or who have embraced Bhaal at the end of the game will no longer appear in Karlach's final scene as though they didn't just stalk off on a mad hunt for blood.

During Gortash's inauguration, Ravengard's head, sword, and legs will no longer leave his body suspended in the air behind him when he walks down the steps. (😱 )

Fixed a cinematic bug where the submersible would approach the Iron Throne and, the moment it arrived, would nope out and appear to reverse back to the surface.

[bhaalbaaby]

Stories of first kisses for your oc's and their partners; and their first shared kiss(es) with your oc's and their partners, presuming they're different.

I'll do Penelope because I feel like even though she's romantically involved with only Astarion and Shadowheart, she probably kissed everyone lol I'll go in chronological order for all the people within BG3-verse that she's kissed

Gortash - Her first grown-up kiss. She wanted fireworks and the promised passion, but it was okay. It was very obvious that she didn't know what she was doing, but followed his lead. Turns out practicing on her hand and quick pecks with random street urchins is not the same as the real thing.

Kaine/Durge - It's very quick when he's leaving after another session of just talking and flirting. She doesn't want to wait until their first full session, whenever that will be, and takes a chance kissing him as he says goodbye. It catches him off guard, grabbing her closer to kiss her hard. When he pulls away, he promises next time they will do more than parting kisses.

Lae'zel - She's never been around a Githyanki before and decided to try Lae'zel out since Penelope is used to being a sub in relationships anyway. It was passionate and hard, rougher than Penelope would have liked for the first time, with too many teeth and biting. She left it at that kiss.

Gale - Penelope picks up that Gale would be easiest to manipulate by being sweet to him. During their first few nights, they share a tent because she could not set hers up by herself and just "kept forgetting" to get help. On the second night, when she wants to test this theory, she pushes her body against his and kisses him before they go to bed. He pointedly sleeps with his back towards her to not cause any stress on his body and also gets Wyll to help him set up her tent the next day.

Astarion - Their first kiss comes after his first bite, bloodlust clouding their thoughts. She's already pent up, but the closeness of their bodies brings her closer to some sort of release. The taste of blood is new on her lips, but she doesn't mind it being in his arms just a little bit longer.

Karlach - Penelope is so curious about Karlach and her energy and is on the same page as Shadowheart, with Karlach being able to toss her around. She, however, keeps to her reservations once she finds out more about her past, especially with Gortash. Their first kiss is fast and hot, leaving Penelope's lips singed but wanting more.

Shadowheart - She's only had butterflies a few times in her life, but any time she spends around Shadowheart, she gets nervous and only has thoughts ranging from sweet stolen kisses to lewd actions she wishes they could do. Their first kiss is sweetened by the wine from the Tiefling party inhibitions lowered while the party lulls.

Wyll - They kiss after they dance the night away, hearts racing. Her hands rest on his chest, feeling it flutter in his rib cage. His kiss is soft and tender, with reservations underneath. She pulls away first, brushing her thumb over his full lips. She thanks him for the kiss and the dance but breaks it off, knowing what he wants is more than what she will ever be able to give anyone.

Halsin - They kiss during the celebration at Moonrise, fumbling to move on to the next part before the night ends. She has been curious about him and has wanted to climb like a tree ever since he joined. He kisses her as if she is all the air he needs, all his prayers answered, at least until the morning.

Minthara - Penelope is surprised Minthara approaches her, but after some mind-melding and heart-to-hearts and cursing their enemies, they kiss under the moon, swearing they will prevail and kill Gortash and Orin together.

[spawnofbhaal]

Realizing that one of the plus sides of BG1/BG2 being more simplistic in terms of visuals and audio is that it allowed for so many mods that can change/add to the story if you want them. Like want a new companion character? There are like 30+ to choose from. Want a romance with a character that wasn't originally romanceable? Chances are there's a romance mod for them. Want a new quest in the game, or one that was cut before release? There are mods for that.

(More rambling under the cut because this got long).

Sure, some mods are . . . weird or annoying by varying standards, or not the best written (a lot of modders didn't speak English as a first language, or were teenagers when they made them), but the love behind the writing can absolve some odd phrasing. A lot of people in the modding community also translated mods into their native, non-English languages. All of this for free, just because they loved the game. The level of content (dialogue, quests etc) in some romance mods puts any studio-made romance to shame, because a modder could just focus on romance rather than all the other aspects of game development.

(Also, IMO Bioware totally took the "kiss your love interest" option in DAO from "flirt pack" mods and other romance mods where your character could choose a lot of different flirtatious things to try on your love interest, from kissing, hugging, playing with their hair, etc. Or you could ask them more about their past, their family, or whatever the modder thought to add. The Bioware devs were definitely aware of the modding community and I honestly think that's one of the reasons you can kiss your LI on command in DAO and now BG3).

I think what I've felt kind of sad about, or like I'm "missing" with BG3 the past few days, is this . . . sense of almost infinite possibility with the game, and collaborative storytelling. Which is silly, because obviously BG3 is a great game as is, and Larian has been doing a great job of updating things, and there are a lot of talented writers, artists, and modders who make content centered around the game.

But I have to reconcile the fact that there are probably never going to be companion mods for BG3. There are never going to be new quest mods for BG3. Like for BG2, someone would totally make a mod to adventure in hell with Karlach or cure Astarion or romance Raphael (like a real romance, whatever that would look like, not the incubus thing). A mod to hug Gale, or ask Astarion about his family before he was turned, or braid Shadowheart's hair, or ask Wyll to tell you all the Baldur's Gate scandals he's heard. But with games being more advanced with graphics and voice acting these days, I seriously doubt any of these things will happen unless Larian does them. And Larian only has so much time and resources. (I also get that for many people, graphics and voice acting are more important than having more written content, but for me it's the opposite). Fanfiction helps a lot, but there's something really magical about seeing things happen in the game.

And if I'm somehow wrong about how these mods will never come to be, I'll be happy to see it (unless people try to do crap like add voice lines with AI, in which case I do NOT want to see it. Ever). But modern game modding has mostly just become cosmetic as far as I can tell. When there's such a focus on graphics, that's cool and all, but I sincerely doubt I'll remember a mod hairstyle after 20 years. Story and character mods I do remember.

[ruinouss]

She didn't think it possible but Karlach became all the more endearing to Faye as her red cheeks glowed with her blush. What she wouldn't give to be able to hold her face in her hands and plant a kiss for every freckle that crossed the bridge of the Tiefling's nose. The ache to be closer festered like an infected wound becoming more severe by the minute. Part of her feared that she may completely forget and go to reach for Karlach before Dammon could get the next upgrade for her engine. It'd be worth it to her, but she knew the guilt would eat Karlach alive and she couldn't do that to her.

"I do," she admitted, biting her tongue to reveal other things she'd like to do along with the kiss. She didn't want to ruin a friendship if she wasn't interested in anything more despite feeling they both had similar feelings toward one another. And part of her was scared for more. None of her previous relations ever worked out and the fear of things not working between them made her hesitant.

Faye knew what it was like to have nothing and resort to desperate measures to survive. The only difference was that Karlach felt guilty for stealing what she needed while Faye had been gleeful. It had been one of the few things she was good at as a kid and made her feel strong when she successfully escaped. But that feeling also steered her back toward a criminal lifestyle. She wondered if it would have been different if she had someone explain it was wrong.

She didn't dwell on the thought for long when she heard just how miserable her life had been. Hell, she couldn't even get a break in the Hells. Her fears of another poor relationship be damned. Faye straightened up and offered a large, genuine grin.

"Why stop at one kiss?" She inquired, reminding herself not to reach out and try initiating anything physical. It was difficult with how much she relied on physical contact but it'd make touching Karlach later all the sweeter. "Don't get me wrong, there's somethin' about everyone in camp I could get behind: Astarion's bad boy charm, Shadowheart's loyalty and decisiveness, Gale's easy goin' nature, Wyll's kindness, and even Lae'zel's tenacity. But I feel most at ease and comfortable when I'm around you. I promise your engine hasn't hurt your chances in the slightest and may have even helped." Her smile softened a bit.

"They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and I know they mean when you're not around each other but just think how much more memorable it'll be when we first touch."

If Faye ever knew that even in the Hells, Karlach didn't have much time with people. Zariel ensured her best pet was kept cage, rarely interacting with anyone. Karlach had very little interaction with most people, and those she met were often in the rages of war. She tried to protect them, but it didn't always work. Those painful memories still swirled in her mind, nightmares that haunted her thoughts. Her fingers reached up to brush against her chest, feeling the heavy plate against her chest just underneath her breasts, that could open and close to her engine. Her claws tapped slightly and then glanced over to Faye as her eyes widened slightly.

"What!?" Karlach gasped, seeing her grin but her face looked in shock and also blushing brightly. The red against her cheeks caused her face to darken as she put her hands up against her face. "Gods," The whisper left her lips as she rubbed her cheeks trying to push away the thoughts she had. Far too many, and all she could think about now was holding Faye's hand and perhaps.... other risque fantasies. Her hands patted her cheeks as she took a breath.

"Well, I wouldn't burn ya, not for anything. I won't hurt you that way," But then... Faye did it again. That blush she tried to make disappear came back even stronger and her mouth opened and found her words taken for a moment. "You... you want to kiss me?" Gods to get a hug AND a kiss! Karlach was sure she could die happy at that moment, though she didn't know if this was just a kiss among friends, or, was it something more. Shit, now she was reading into it as she had to take a breath. A giggle left the tiefling lips though at the dramatic reaction and was able to break from her thoughts. It had to be just a kiss among friends, Faye had plenty of others here in the camp, and Karlach doubted she saw her any more than a friend and a good soldier. When it came to Confidence, Karlach overflowed with it, but her self-esteem was a bit more fragile.

Her lips pushed to the side and glanced at Faye. "Maybe they had a reason, but, at least they were good to you. My parents and I lived in the outer city of Baldur's Gate. We didn't have much, honestly, we didn't have anything. Barely a scrap of food, and I would do some criminal actions sometimes. I used to steal food and... maybe stole gold sometimes," Karlach sighed slightly. "I never did it hurt people, I just wanted to try and help my parents. But, we were happy and they taught me to be better than that," Fingers reached for her massive tail, pulling it into her lap as her hands brushed over its smooth skin. An action of self-soothing as she spoke about her past.

She glanced at Faye when she had that smirk and canted her head slightly. "curious of what?" A grin crossed her lips though as she glanced down at the ground and back to Faye. "Please, don't stop flirting, I like it. I give you the biggest damn kiss if I could right now, but... I know you can't. No, I have no one, the hells were... lonely," Karlach admitted. "I wasn't allowed to make friends, and I was kept in my cage for those forty years. So, no romance, no lovers, just me," Karlach grinned and glanced back to Faye.

"Maybe, you can save me a kiss for later? Unless someone else got your eye? Is anyone else in the camp you pinning over? Damn, this stupid engine ruining my chance,"