#Shadowheart you will always be famous

[lepusrufus]

Award for my favorite Durge scene goes tooo...

[cheriafreya]

I love you Shadowheart... I love you Rin Tohsaka... these pulls were for you...

[nebulousfishgills]

I think I'm legally obligated to do one evil run of Baldur's Gate every so often, less so because I think it's fun, and moreso to remind me just how much I fucking love Minthara.

Like lookit that angy face lol

For valid reasons I unfortunately had to turn her down this time around since I couldn't in good conscience make Emily break up with Astarion/Henry (god bless modders)...

...although if I think about it, Emily dumping him for a platinum blonde with red eyes is accurate, but no, I couldn't...

...so that's the *perfect* excuse for another Evil Durge Run. Romancing Minthara... that'd make three evil runs out of five runs total... should I bring this up in therapy tomorrow?

Cause apparently I have A Type:

[vspin]

On Act 3 and the lack of companion reactivity and dialogue.

So, I officially hit 400 hours on BG3 yesterday (no lifing it lmao) and I've been thinking about some things I wish Larian would improve or wish that they had implemented. A big thing that comes to mind is how much companion reactivity and dialogue abruptly stops in Act 3.

Act 1 really shines with companion reactivity. They always have something to say to the MC, to NPCs, or even to each other! I love the interaction after you use your ilithid powers for the first time and it's a 4 way conversation between everyone.

Then we get to Act 3 and there's such huge drop-off. Some big offenses:

Very little reaction to quests and locations. When I killed Raphael I only got comments from Astarion and Gale! Seriously?? We just survived a trip to the Hells! This happens with multiple quests

Blank faces when Durge is killed by Bhaal.

Camp is lifeless. Everyone just stands in front of their bed, There are no interactions.

In my playthrough, the Emporer admitted to my Tav he was manipulating her and didn't really care. It was bummer I couldn't talk to the other tadpole gang about it.

I remember coming across a Druid in the city. He was trying to heal a tree. So I went back and grabbed Halsin because he was complaining no one in the city cared about nature or balance. So I thought surely, he would have an interaction here! Nope, nothing!

As soon as you finish a companion's personal quest that is basically the end of your interactions with them; even if you romance them.

What I'd like to see: (Disclaimer: Just my opinions. I have no expectation of any of this being added to the game)

More camp interaction between companions. Jahiera and Minsc had a great example of this. Let there be a quick cutscene of Minsc and Halsin arm wrestling. Shadowheart, Karlach, and Astarion drinking wine. Anything. DA:I did a great job at this. It seemed like anytime I approached someone for dialogue they were in the middle of an interaction with someone else. Or events like the card game. It brought a lot of life into the party.

More random city encounters. They did a good job with Karlach; she has interactions with the steel watcher and her friend Fitz. Would have been cool to have some of those with Wyll, maybe he meets another noble or a flaming fist and has to deal with their shock of seeing him as a devil. Or with Gale in Sorcerous Sundries (he is a famous wizard after all!). Astarion mentions he needs to keep a low profile in the taverns; what if someone called him out!

More reactions to story events.

Expand on romances a bit more. We don't need it to be a dating sim but if you finish your LI's quest early on get used to just asking for small pecks and that's it. I would like to see more romance-specific dialogue for quest reactions.

And Finally:

We needed all companions at the final battle. Everyone should have been at the main keep before confronting the brain. You should have had your final conversations with them before you all potentially die in battle. DA:O style. A passionate kiss with your LI (not a tiny little peck lmao). This was a huge exclusion.

Anyway, these are my thoughts on the matter. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[coriphallus]

The Dark Urge thoughts (and prayers)

anyone whos been following me knows im absolutely not normal about durge and i wanna share some tidbits that are implied, but not necessarily canonised, from their story;

I already made a post about it but it seems like bhaal has a degree of control over whether they live or die. he can deny them death, if they fail the duel with orin.

bhaal can command the slayer. he forces orin to transform if you talk to her about sarevok and the scene makes it clear that its against her will.

bhaal manipulates his kin in a subtler way. in the colony you can find a letter from old durge thats apologising to his father for 'liking' gortash. you can interpret their relationship as something deeper but even if it wasnt, this reads to me as terrified and desperate.

the reason being, if you have a LI in act 2 you get the famous bondage scene. coupled up with the letter above makes me think this is a pattern. bhaal can use their feelings against them. he did it with sarevok and orin's mother, orin's mother and orin, etc... it's not as straightforward as 'if you disobey ill kill the one you love'. you will. durge will.

bhaal is testing them in act 2, he revels in chaos, sure, but in the grand scheme of things he doesn't care about isobel. even if you tell scel that you'll kill her you're told that youre too late, you ignored your urges. from durge, bhaal doesn't expect calm calculated murder, he expects blind obedience. failing to receive that his first punishment is to take away something they cherish. there are no half measures, theres no bargaining with a god.

we get so many snippets of information that this has happened before, their foster family being their first victims. theyre made to kill their support system with their own hands, with no one to blame but themselves. they are actually apologising to their father for being fond of gortash because (in my humble opinion) theyre genuinely afraid.

how many times could this have happened, how many nights durge couldve woken up covered in the blood of someone they love until they gave in, became daddys obedient puppet?

durge is groomed for murder. scel says 'you always failed to conduct yourself without me' and given who he is i dont think hes talking about table manners when he says 'conduct'. durge needs 24/7 oversight to set themselves right lest they get tempted by softer things. lest they dare to step away from bhaals grand plan.

durge do have a choice. just as shadowheart had a choice, just as wyll or astarion had a choice. its a choice only in name.

theres no ending besides refusing bhaal that their friends and LI wont die by their hands. the entire lore of bhaalspawn is that theyre meant to conquer the world in his name and slit their own throat a top the mountain of corpses. as cazador aptly put, 'theyre made to be consumed.'

you can pray to bhaal and the narrator says he won't accept [any offering] but the entire world.

durge (and bhaalspawn) do get some sort of euphoria from murder. they crave it like an addict, but bhaalspawn (on prev games) don't constantly have to grapple with these urges as durge does.

now durge is a slightly special case but not in a good way. its implied that theyre not like a regular bhaalspawn, that theyre made by bhaal directly -so to speak-. which is to say, if youre playing a drow, they are bhaals closest approximation of a drow rather than a drow flesh and blood.

thats why theyre fighting tooth and nail against these urges every step of the way, they are literally bhaal himself(in essence). the personality they develop, the person who calls themselves 'tainted' and 'wretched', the character thats making choices throughout the game, theyre the tumour.

theirs is the story of cycle of abuse cranked up to 1000 and it is in parallel to all other origin companions.

[boodarko]

shadowheart you will always be famous 🖤

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

I’ve binge read your blog tonight! Amazing! I was hoping your requests are open if not please ignore this message 😊

What about astarion x tav reader , who’s an artist - astarion who’s dying to look in a mirror but she depicts him perfectly , possibly angst to fluff? Feel free to take this prompt any which way, I thought this would be wholesome 😊

Aww, that's so cute!

This reminds me of that comic that's floating around here with Tav drawing him and Astarion, not knowing what he looks like anymore, looking over their shoulder like "ooooh you got a crush on this random man we don't know. who is he?" So I mixed that vibe in here!

This is set just a bit before he realizes he's in love with you because I love that for him.

~

Astarion wasn't worried. He wasn't obsessed, he was just intrigued. Curious even, mildly perplexed at worst. Because he had no idea why he kept catching you drawing the same elf time and time again. And you refused to tell him why.

Now, in all fairness you did occasional sketch out other members of your group. Not everyone, just the few who had the patience to stay still while you worked. Wyll, Shadowheart, Halsin. It was a passion of yours, your art, something that Astarion always liked about you. It helped that you were fantastic at it. You're drawings were so life-like, capturing nearly every feature on their faces. They always left Astarion sincerely impressed, the few times he had managed to see them. Because for someone so talented, you were oddly secretive about your sketchbook.

Now that didn't exactly stop Astarion from seeing them. There were the times he would shamelessly watch you over your shoulder, only leaving when you noticed him and started flailing to cover up your work. He also took the opportunity to occasionally steal it from your tent while you were gone without him, a consequence of you trusting him. He had warned you about that, hadn't he?

You really did create beautiful work. From picturesque scenery to your famous portraits. Though it seemed you had a favorite subject, that damned unnamed elf. You knew the man well enough to draw him from memory it seemed, because Astarion would have remembered running into that face.

Why you never asked the man you're sleeping with to model for you instead of this stranger, he wasn't quite sure. But it was starting to bother him. It didn't help that he was objectively handsome, attractive in a semi-mysterious way. It was even worse that you would start blushing and stuttering whenever he asked about him. You wouldn't even give him a name, just vague stumblings.

"He's um, from Baldur's Gate," You had mentioned once, completely avoiding Astarion's eyes, "It's um. Not important."

"So you'll be introducing us soon then?" Astarion had asked, half-hopeful that you'd deny it. His life would be a lot easier if the mystery man turned out to be a long-dead lover.

But instead you just gave him a shaky nod, "I-sure. Y-Yeah. One day."

And you had left it at that, staying infuriatingly vague whenever he brought the subject up.

Astarion wasn't worried. He wasn't. Or maybe he was, purely off the fact that it couldn't be healthy to be so obsessed with one man's face. Especially if the man in question wasn't him.

Astarion was aware that he was attractive. He had to be for everything he'd gotten away with over the years. But he literally could not know how he matched up to this... random stranger. Who, by the way, had done nothing to help you while you had a mind flayer parasite trapped in your head. Astarion certainly had that over him at least. But he wasn't quite sure if he matched up in... other areas.

Astarion wasn't exactly used to being self-conscious. At least not when it came to his appearance. The ability had been taken away from the second Cazador got his fangs into his neck. He still thought about it, often in fact, that he had no idea what he looked like. But the enamored responses he usually received by existing quelled most worries.

Now though... now he had to wonder. And he wasn't a fan of the feeling.

He hadn't wanted to ask for your help in seeing himself, he was hoping that you would have offered on your own by now. But since that was clearly not happening, Astarion had to bring matters into his own hands.

He watched as you fiddled away in your sketchbook, suddenly obsessed with replicating the tassels on his favorite pillow. According to you it was one of the few things you didn't know how to draw perfectly, despite it looking just fine to everyone else. Astarion supposed that the artist mind just worked in mysterious, semi-frustrating ways. Ways that he frankly did not understand.

"How would you feel about drawing me sometime?" Astarion asked suddenly, his brows going up to his hairline at how the simple question made you flinch, "No offense darling but I do believe I'm more interesting than a few tufts of string."

You weren't looking at him as you answered, still scribbling away with now-shaky hands, "I-um, I'm not sure if you'd want me to-"

"Why ever not? Frankly my dear I'm a little offended you haven't asked me to model. It would be nice to be aware of what my own face looked like."

That at least got your eyes up. You looked oddly guilty, fiddling with your pencil, "I-shit. I'm sorry. I should have thought about that."

"It's fine," Astarion said with a wave of his hand. He was used to being a last priority, he didn't take offense, "Besides, you can make it up to me now. What do you say?"

You swallowed, avoiding his eyes as you nodded, "Y-Yeah. I can do that. Um, sit up a little for me?"

Astarion listened, excitement starting to crawl up his spine. He was actually going to see his own face again, for the first time in centuries. All because of the person he love-cared for. Cared for deeply. Who still made him borderline beg for the privilege but oh well. Beggars couldn't be choosers. He had learned that lesson many times.

It took a long time before you were finished, nearly three hours. Not that he minded, if anything he appreciated how seriously you were taking it. And who knows. Maybe if his face managed to be interesting enough, you'd abandon your other muse in favor of him. He could only hope.

"Okay," You said eventually, setting your pencil to the side, "It's done. But... just don't laugh, okay?"

Astarion barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes, "Is my appearance that amusing?"

"No but-gods, here. Just look at it," You said, tossing the sketchbook to him, "Be gentle."

Astarion caught it, excited to hells and back as he looked down. Only to find the exact same elf he'd been seeing for weeks. Except this was more detailed than all of the ones from before. He could see... everything. The scars from that dreaded first night with Cazador, two barely there moles on the right side of his face, the exact flow of his hair. He was beautiful, a fact he was aware of, but it was still nice to see. He just... hadn't realized how many times he had seen it.

Astarion swallowed, looking up at you with wide eyes, "You've been drawing me? This whole time? I've been your 'mystery man' from Baldur's gate?"

You shrugged, picking on a string on your pants instead of looking at him, "You make a good subject. And we spend a lot of time together. And... I should have told you when you first saw it. But I just...." You trailed off with a sigh, finally gathering your courage enough to look him in the eye, "I didn't want to freak you out. I know it's a bit... creepy. I guess I didn't want you to know just... how obsessed I was. Or am."

It made sense. In all honesty, the Astarion from mere months ago probably would have found a way to find offense. But now it just felt... sweet. It made him feel warm, and incredibly idiotic. Here he had been, fretting over his non-existent competition. While this whole time he was the one constantly invading your mind. It was a strangely validating feeling. Almost like maybe... you would still want him when all of this was said and done.

He hadn't started this relationship with that in mind. In a perfect world, he'd use you to kill Cazador, cure himself of the tadpoles, gain his own freedom, then be on his merry way, you're feelings on the matter be damned. And he was actualizing that plan perfectly, if this new news was anything to go by.

So why was it suddenly making him feel ill? You had been nothing but kind to him. Accepting, trusting, all to someone who deserved less than dirt. And what would this all end in. Him abandoning you after everything you'd done?

Or maybe... it was about leaving before you had the chance to do the same.

"Do... do you not like it?" You asked, obviously nervous at his stunned silence. But it at least snapped him out of his own thoughts.

Astarion rushed to shake his head, going as far as to move to sit next to you. He took one of your hands in his, feeling uncomfortably sincere as he spoke, "I love it. Thank you for doing this for me. Thank you for all of them. I am more than happy to be your muse darling. There's nothing I'd like more."

"Really?" You asked, looking so hopeful it made his heart clench in his chest.

"Really," Astarion said, moving to cup your cheek, "But I will be expecting payment for my services. I hope you realize you'll be sleeping here tonight."

"No complaints here," You murmured, right before his lips touched yours. You were smiling into the kiss, sweet enough to make Astarion want to scream.

Just what had he gotten himself into with you?

[eliteseven]

Baby Jen 100% has her mum’s big wet puppy dog eyes when she’s sad and her skrunkly face when she’s disgusted.

Oh yes she does 😍

Serena is obsessed. She’s just holding up her bite-sized little BabyHeart with the proudest smile and tears in her adoring gaze. I say it all the time but she has two (2!) Shadowhearts now. She feels like she won the mf lottery in this life.

And she’s STILL excited like that, even when Baby Jen is being petulant and throwing a little temper tantrum, making the famous “Shadowheart Disapproves” frown.

Shadowheart will always sigh exasperatedly and ask “how ever did you put up with me?”

And Serena just tells her “How ever did I get on without you both, is the question.”

And…oop Shadowheart is suddenly ready for another 🥵

[simpofwaterdeep]

I figured I'd talk about how I imagine relationships between Melpomene, my half tiefling bard Tav, with the companions would be and how they came to be. Plus how I imagine life was after the reunion party. Since I want to start letting myself open up about my OCs and all.

Since I expect it'll be long! More under the cut!

-

Lae'zel - It's hard to trust someone who keeps reminding you of the discrimination you experienced growing up. Melpomene really had to learn to trust Lae'zel after so many of her harsh words would remind her of her life growing up. It wasn't until the Créche that Melpomene started to really understand Lae'zel. As time passed on and they started trusting Voss, Melpomene had already began to call Lae'zel her friend. By the time Vlaakith revealed her true colors to Lae'zel in their second confrontation, Mel was ready to defend Lae'zel with whatever she had. Goddess powers be damned. This was her friend. Melpomene encouraged Lae'zel to lead her people in the end after the Absolute's defeat and Orpheus' death. She misses Lae'zel immensely and hopes one day they can meet in the realms or in the Astral Plane. With help after events of the party, she'll often write Lae'zel letters of updates on her life.

Shadowheart - Melpomene wasn't sure exactly how to take Shadowheart. Rescuing her from the pod was a decision she would never have changed. But she felt Shadowheart didn't like her all that much. So she let herself distance herself from Shadowheart. As soon as Shadowheart finally opened up being a follower of Shar, Melpomene was surprised. A secret like that isn't one shared easily, nor was the night of the wolves. After this Melpomene let herself get closer to Shadowheart. And over time grew to love her and have a sisterly relationship like she'd always wanted with her half sisters. After everything they went through with the Nightsong and the Nautiloid, Mel would trust Shadowheart with her life. And Melpomene stuck by Shadowheart's side throughout finding out the truth and saying goodbye to her parents. After the events and party, Melpomene encourages her new found sister to visit her often in Waterdeep. She even trusts Shadowheart to help deliver her and Gale's twins.

Karlach - After the death of her mother, Melpomene didn't get to grow up with a lot of tieflings or tiefling kids. Being stuck as a servant to her human stepmother and half sisters, Melpomene rarely was allowed to mingle with anyone tiefling. So meeting Karlach and becoming her friend was a blessing. Melpomene had an attraction to Karlach but never acted upon it as she grew to only love her as a best friend. Karlach was a reminder to Melpomene that it was okay to be bitter about the injustices you rightfully didn't deserve, but to not let it have you become a cruel person. Melpomene decided to add taters to her linguistics just for Karlach after visiting her parents' graves and empathized with her parents' loss. When Karlach faced Gortash, Melpomene let Karlach get her anger out. Something she wished she was strong enough to do. It was hard to convince Karlach to go back to Avernus with Wyll, as Melpomene understood Karlach wanted to stay. But she pushed Karlach to not give up. Melpomene was excited to find out she and Wyll got together as she had hoped they would. After Karlach and Wyll eventually found the upgrade to stabilize the engine once and for all and return afterwards, Melpomene makes them the godparents to her and Gale's twins.

Wyll - Being from Baldur's Gate, and a servant in a noble house, Melpomene had obviously heard of the great Blade of Frontiers. She was excited to finally meet the famous Blade and quickly became friends with him. Even learning a sword trick or two to help her with her inexperience. When things calmed down between Karlach and Wyll, Melpomene could sense something budding between them and often hoped they'd end up together. Melpomene was shocked to learn Wyll was of nobility. She empathized greatly with Wyll when it was revealed who his father was and the falling out they had. Melpomene's human father never tried to have a relationship with her and he died shortly after her arrival to his home. She made it her personal mission to help mend the relationship between Wyll and Ulder. When it was successful, Melpomene admittedly felt a twinge of jealousy. But she refused to let it ruin their relationship. When she named Wyll and Karlach the twins' godparents, she had Wyll invite his father to meet them.

Astarion - Just like with Lae'zel, it's hard to trust someone who tried to kill you. In fact Melpomene despised Astarion. Their rivalry with morals and what's right and wrong often had these two butting heads. Melpomene even outright told Astarion the night of the tiefling party she'd rather have sex with a goblin. But that didn't mean they never had their moments. In times of mischief, Melpomene let Astarion indulge himself out of her own morbid curiosity (an example being letting him open the barn doors to reveal the lovely couple). But as Astarion started to open up more over time, Melpomene grew to care for Astarion. Especially in his moments of truly caring for others' safety such as rescuing Mayrina and pointing out they had to be careful to not kill Ethel to save Vanra. Even viewing him as a big brother she had a sibling rivalry with. And like all sibling rivalries, there came times of truce. Melpomene showed her care for Astarion by standing up for him and refusing to hand him over to the Gur. When Melpomene convinced Astarion to not follow through with the ritual, she showed great appreciation for his strength and difficult decision to free the prisoners of Cazador. She often worried for Astarion when he ran off to find shade when the brain was destroyed. After she found out what happened after, Melpomene was immensely proud of Astarion for becoming better. She'll sometimes have him babysit when Shadowheart or Karlach aren't available.

Gale - When she saw this hand coming out of the portal and sensed the danger this person was in, Melpomene didn't hesitate to pull him out. But to her great surprise and shock, Melpomene found herself drawn to Gale. Considering how she found him having a bit of an ego and had a distrust of nobility, which she felt he often made known, she carefully kept him at a distance. But she'd often find herself coming back to putting her distrust aside. Even having twinges of jealousy whenever he showed great interest in Lae'zel. When Gale revealed his condition to her eventually, Melpomene felt a greater connection to him. Even finding herself growing warm as he bowed to her and exclaimed "My lady, I bow to your boundless kindness." From then on Melpomene let herself become closer to Gale. She didn't understand why she had imagined that kiss in her moment learning the Weave with Gale nor her unusually emotional outburst at Elminster. She found herself hurt when Gale admitted he considered using the orb and had an argument with him over it. Melpomene realized she had fallen hard for Gale, something she'd never let herself do, in the Shadowlands a day or two after their argument when he was downed in the first battle. But having grown up hearing no one would love her or have any interest in her, she tried to repress it. It was futile however as even her yearning was exposed to Commander Zhalk at the towers. When she noticed Gale's flirting she remained cautious as not to get hurt or used. But to her surprise, Gale's reveal of being in love with her allowed her to finally let herself be in love. This didn't mean they didn't have their moments, especially trying to convince him not to use the orb or take the crown. She wanted Gale for who he is, not a completely irreversibly changed being. She and Gale changed each other for the better. They soon found they were expecting after the defeat of the brain and had their wedding four months after. Melpomene of course adores Tara almost as much as Gale does.

[fates-calling]

As much as I love Gale becoming a professor and returning to Waterdeep post game, I adore him becoming an adventurer.

Hear me out.

Gale, learning spells that he never would have touched while he was in Waterdeep & with Mystra, spells like Witch Bolt & Magic Missle. Unimpressive and built to do one thing, hurt your enemies. He relizes quickly he had a nack for these kinds of spells, spells that Mystra would have never been impressed by. They're crude and simple.

He feels bad at first, for finding accomplishment when he preforms them well. Mostky, because he has never been too fond of hurting people. Though, he finds himself enjoying watching evil crumble. But these feelings slowly fade faster than he thought they would.

Whenever Karlach yells "Fuck yeah! Fireball!" During the heat of battle and begs him to teach her (which he as kindly as possible refuses to do) as adrenline & pride rush through him. When Wyll claps a hand on his shoulder after a hard won battle, and grins at him saying: "You're a life saver" and he feels utterly triumphant, and a bit smug.

When Astarion pulls him into a suprise hug, out of sight from everyone else after killing Cazador: and simply tell hims when he pulls away, "I didn't know you learned Sunbeam." And his heart leaps woth a fuzzy-warmth he would never associate with the vampire.

When Shadowheart presses a hand to his forehead for a Cure Wounds after he got a bit too close to the battle and affectionately calls him an idiot for it.

When Lae'zel gives him a wicked grin as his Lighting Bolt downs enemies by the handful without breaking a sweat. Utterly impressed, and perhaps, a bit turned on: making him flush fiercly.

With every battle he wins,every drop of blood he sheds: Gale moves further and further away from the man he was. Further and further from the man who was willing to die for Mystra's forgiveness. He becomes a hero. He becomes a man who craves power - his ambitions & passion once more relight, more so than he ever before as he spots that crown ontop of the Netherbrain.

A man, that by Act 3 is enthralled as he sneaks with Astarion, dodging deadly traps to raid one of the most famous wizard's in Baldur's Gate safes. Read knowledge that had been kept from him, and thousands others. Be able to face the goddess of magic herself, and essentially, tell her to get fucked. To be able to apeak his mind to her instead of rolling over and taking it!

And in the end?

He finds out that he is simpky Gale. And that Gale is good enough. That Gale likes adventure and danger. Oh, will he miss Waterdeep and his mother, but he can always visit! Send letters home. He cant quite give up on all of these new things he has discovered. He doesn't need the crown, or Mystra. He doesn't rven need big fanyc illusion magic as he forces reality to bend to his will with the Weave, though, he still loves and pratices it.

No.

This time - reality is enough. He is enough. And sure, reality isn't always pretty. Sometimes reailty is Lea'zel handing you bloody scrolls you know she plucked off a body. But she knew you would want them. Sometimes, it's trying to make a dinner for five (and you) straving adverntures with nothing but potatoes and a cheese wheel you plucked off of goblin corpses.

But it's yours. And it's you for the first time.

Also.

Someone has to keep Astarion in check, and help the rouge protect the Sword Coast with Wyll serving Avernus. And who better than, a master of the Weave like Gale to help him protect it from the shadows, and tell him no. Sometimes.

[vagabondfandoms]

More Than A Moment

Falls On Me Part Two

Day Nine: Rosymorn Pilgrimage Route

Rating: Teen

Previous Parts: Falls On Me

Tags/Warning: Gale POV, Gale x Female Tav. Gale needs reminders to eat, a brief mention of Gale's past sexual escapades, and light-hearted teasing from the group. Approx: 1300 words

Sorry for the delay in uploading the second part of Falls on Me. I was fighting with the second half of this chapter. So I decided to expand the more playful part so I could release it as its own. The next chapter will contain more serious story points aka Githyanki Creche.

---

The Tadpole Troupe has been on the road a couple of days since they left the sanctuary of the Druid’s Grove. They encountered gnolls and a Zhentarim hideout on the road to Baldur’s Gate but nothing proves too perilous for the group of now eight. 

Halsin decided to join their team, having both knowledge of the Shadowlands surrounding Moonrise Towers and a personal vendetta to see that area free of the darkness plaguing it. Gale doesn’t mind having the druid on the team, the wood elf brings a certain level-headedness to the group that only a man who lived as long as Halsin could provide.

Knowing the area the best, Halsin recommended two routes to Moonrise. The first was through the Underdark and the second was through the mountains. Lae’zel was still keen on visiting the Githyanki Creche, claiming the zaith’isk could purify their minds of the mind-flayer tadpoles. Since the tadpoles were still a huge concern for the majority of the group, they headed to the mountain pass with only mild grumbling about “not trusting the gith” from Shadowheart.

The Mountain Path proved treacherous with the road not being maintained for several years. The locals living at an inn claimed it was once a popular pilgrimage route for the followers of Lathander but ever since the Githyanki took over the area, nobody travels to the monastery anymore.

Even with the road being rough, Gale can see why the area was once a popular destination. The scenery was breathtaking with its spectacular mountain vistas, waterfalls, and views of the vast landscape below. The trees are lush and just starting to turn their autumn colors. Gale wishes it was a few weeks later into the year so he could see the valley in its full colorful splendor. 

On more than one occasion Gale finds himself stopping to enjoy his surroundings while giving his legs a well-needed break. During these rests either Copper or himself will wander to each other and share a snack between them. It was nice getting reminders to eat and drink because Gale was extremely bad at remembering on his own. His mind was always too occupied with his research and education, to think about caring for his body. 

The wizard often wished he had a spell that could take care of all the menial everyday tasks, such as eating, drinking, or going to the bathroom without him having to stop what he was doing. But once he eats a delicious meal he remembers why he loves food so much and feels a little guilty (in a voice that sounds awfully like his mother) for denying his body such nourishment. Being on the road, however, is making Gale miss any type of food that wasn't dried, salted, or half rotten. 

“I wish we were back at my tower in Waterdeep,” Gale grumbles sourly to Copper as he takes a bite of dried fish. “I have an excellent kitchen and a wine cellar to rival Ondal himself. I could make us a sumptuous home-cooked meal of quipper fish topped with my mother’s famous hundur sauce.” He waves the half-eaten fish in the air wanting to throw it away but takes a bite to finish it instead. “A far *munch* better meal than this pathetic thing.” 

“You would want me there? At your home?” Copper asks with a slight blush on her cheeks. Gale always likes when Copper blushes but instead of getting distracted this time by the adorable redness of her cheeks, he notices the surprise in her voice. 

“Of course!” Gale encourages, placing one of his hands on hers. “You can meet my mother and Tara as well. But I might not invite them to dinner… they can be awfully nosey and I want our first real meal together as pleasant as possible.” 

“What else are we going to do?” Copper says happily, playing along with the fantasy. She even laces their fingers together and slightly swings their hands back and forth as they start walking.

“Well, after keeping up our appearances with my mothers. Tara likes to think I’m her kitten even though I outweigh her 10 times over.” Gale adds quickly. “We can take a walk down near the waters. There’s a lovely stretch of beach between Watching Tower and Habor Watch. If we are adventurous we could even travel up to the beaches near West Gate. But to be honest, I would like to stay close to home. It makes for a quicker getaway if the mood takes us on more romantic routes.” 

“Gale!” Copper shoves him playfully in the shoulder, stifling a laugh. “Are you telling me in a roundabout way that you made love in the sand before?”

“Well it wasn’t my most proud moment,” Gale confesses, a playful glint in his eye. “I had sand up my arsecheeks for a good day or two after the encounter. Not even a spell could fix it. But I expect no wizard ever fully committed themselves to try to develop a sand-in-the-bahoochie removal charm.” 

Copper starts laughing and Gale can feel the vibrations through their cusped hands. He’s on the verge of laughing too when Copper gives him a heated stare. “Soooo, since we established the beach isn’t your favorite spot to make love. Where is Mister Waterdeep’s preferred locat….” 

Before Copper could finish her sentence, Astarion comes barging between the flirting couple, breaking their hold on each other’s hands. “Urgh, enough of all this sweet talk! It’s making me feel sick,” the pale elf complains.

“HEY!” Karlach and Shadowheart shout in unison. 

“It was just getting to the good part,” Karlach whines as Astarion sticks his tongue out to taunt her. 

Scratch and Owlbert Dark Feathers sensing the playful energy, start to run in circles, jumping up at their human companions wanting to join in on the fun. Their joyful antics just upped the chaotic energy that erupted around the befuddled couple.

“I was looking forward to hearing more.” Shadowheart sighs as she leisurely passes Gale and Copper as Karlach, Scratch, and the Owlbear Cub barrel past them after the teasing vampire. 

Gale quickly catches sight of a mischievous gleam in the tieflings eyes and sees within seconds that she captures Astarion and gives his head a noogie before quickly letting go so he doesn’t catch on fire.

The cleric smirks as Astarion lets out a big yowl and fixes his hair. Shadowheart continues talking, ignoring the chaos around her, directing her next words back towards Gale. “Walking gets awfully dull and a good fantasy story makes the time go by faster. But next time, avoid yapping about sand in your bum and get right to the good stuff.”

“Rude!” Gale calls out after Shadowheart. “They were listening in to our conversation.” 

He huffs in annoyance, looking at Copper for agreement but noticing she was shifting her feet, looking flustered. “Well, we shouldn’t expect anything to stay private with this group.” She mumbles, chewing on her lip. “Not with how close we have to travel and the tadpoles connecting our minds.” 

“That dampens the mood a little.” Gale sighs at the reminder of their current tadpole situation but perks back up when he reclaims Copper’s hand, giving her a flirty smile. “I liked where this conversation was going. Should we continue anyway?”

“Gale. Not in front of the others.” Copper cautions, her eyes shifting around, giving Wyll an awkward little wave as he passes. Both sensed the young man was trying to suppress his laughter since he witnessed the whole silly event from the rear guard. 

“I can only stand one embarrassing incident per day.”

Gale chuckles at the woman’s nervous antics, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry dear. I’ll keep your modesty intact for another day.” He pulls her close for a quick side hug for extra reassurance as they join the group up the mountain path.

---

Author's Note: A small heads up. This story might update slower than Part One since it's summer and I need to enjoy the warm weather while it lasts. *lives in a cold northern climate.*

[seluneclerics]

Valeris & Shadowheart you will always be famous

[great-tusk]

BG3 for the fandom ask!!! - @zomboyfren

@zomboyfren, ty for the ask!!! This is going to be fun to answer, since anyone who doesn’t know the characters is gonna get to see some of these goofy ass names. There is genuinely a character named Wulbren Bongle, and he will appear later on this list.

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

Shadowheart <3. My little Sharty-poo. I even made her in Miitopia on the Switch.

I also think about Minsc and Jaheira a shit ton because I ship them so much and the ship makes me crazy. I’m so passionate about it AHAHAHA. I don’t understand why it’s such a rarepair. I also selfship with Minsc, so most of the time, I see it as a V poly with him in the middle.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

Quentin (my main character), especially resist Dark Urge Quentin. He’s so adorable. He has the cutest smile and a little ponytail and a love where his bf truly believes in the goodness inside of him. Quentin, you will always be famous (and a canon character) to me. He’s my baby because I created him, and he’s shaped like a beautiful perfect boy.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

KETHERIC THORMMMMM. He’s so overlooked because Gortash and Orin are attractive to people, and Ketheric does not have the same PRETTY PRIVILEGE!!!!! But he was like originally planned to be a companion. That’s how good deep down redeemable villain he is!!! He genuinely loved his daughter and wife with all of his heart, and grief consumed him. If you bring up his wife and how he can still choose good instead of evil, he will sacrifice himself instead of fighting you.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

If you knock out Alfira as Dark Urge right before the night where you regularly kill her, she will be replaced by an adorable Dragonborn!

Her name is Quil Grootslang (Qu name like me!) and she’s a sweet bard who loves romance and throat-sings.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

Born from incest, loves to kill people, Bhaalspawn. These are all traits of my beautiful angel Orin. Do I like her for the above traits and her personality, or do I like her because she’s hot? I’ll never tell 😉.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

Doomed deep gnome yaoi, save me. Save me, doomed deep gnome yaoi. I don’t need to censor this in case someone likes Wulbren Bongle. I have never seen a human being who enjoys this character. Someone made a song hating on him.

A man (Barcus Wroot) who considers Wulbren Bongle a close best friend goes through a shit ton of effort to make sure that he ends up safe, insisting that I need to help him. I have to be the backbone of a prison break to save him. But everyone ends up safe and sound. I’m so relieved, and talking to all of the newly freed prisoners. Everyone else is fairly kind to me, even the more sarcastic characters seeming to be grateful. So I go up to Wulbren last, and he basically tells me to fuck off. He says he’s busy. No thank you, no reward. He could not have done it without me. I gave him the weapon needed to break through the wall, and there was no chance that he would find someone else to do it for him in that evil ass prison. But he tells me to get lost.

So I go and find Barcus, who’s ecstatic that Wulbren is free. Immediately asks me where he is, and starts searching the big room. When he finds him, he sprints over and starts talking about how excited he is to see him again. Wulbren’s response? Essentially telling him to fuck off, too. Barcus still ends up thanking me and giving me a quest reward.

I’ve heard that Wulbren Bongle gets even worse in Act 3, but I have a confession to make. Other than this one, I haven’t had a run where the deep gnomes survive this far LMAOOO. So I haven’t seen Act 3 Wulbren Bongle. I will update you on how much he sucks there once I get there.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

Gale. Nothing against him, just feel like he belongs down there. (Up there? I’ve never seen Supernatural.)

[nikatyler]

Ross 2.0

Underdark lighting you will always be famous

You know you've played this game too much when you can actually genuinely instantly call his bs in this scene 💀…but still I cheered for my boys, you both think you're soooo clever here, you don't know how hard the fall will be

yes we talk about his ears all the time but what if I wanted to munch on his hand

look at his pretty fingers (andthinkabouteverythingthosefingerscoulddotoo)

Ross.exe has stopped working and who can blame him really

so what's going on here

this light makes him look so pretty ugh i'm gonna be emotional for no reason again

pretty boys stare off

back in the night because I was actually told about a mod that swaps their positions so of course I went back a few saves just to see it…it's perfect now your honor 🥺 let him carry his little str 8 freaky little gremlin guy (yes I said little twice)

me core

So um. Wasn't sure if only your tav can get volobotomy or if you can get it for a companion too. Well. Let's just say Shadowheart took one for the team, thank you Shartie <3

BEBE

She's fine. You can barely see it 😅🤭

he's chillin. in the spider pit. leave him be

all cleaned up after the fight 🤭

so I've been using the no party limit mod but I prefer to go to combat with just a few characters and leave the rest behind somewhere...anyway rip their knees because i may have forgotten about them

TWO BEBES

[grief-worn]

hair down shadowheart you will always be famous.

[emmy-dekarios-bg3]

Heart of the Weave - chapter 33

Today is the long-awaited day of Shadowheart and Astarion’s wedding ceremony, and I am so thrilled to see two of my people get married; on top of that, I get to be a part of it by being the maid of honor. Gale is at their cottage with Astarion, Jenevelle, and their baby Asher, getting ready for the big day and assisting Astarion with looking as dashing as ever, which isn’t hard since that man is “the most fashionable bastard in all of Faerȗn.” Famous words of Karlach.

Shadowheart takes a deep breath and turns around to face me with her back against the mirror, her face expressing an intense amount of nervousness. Her white dress is flowing to the floor, with laced floral sleeves that cover her arms. Her silver hair is not in a braid for once, but let loose and hanging down to the middle of her ribcage, curled beautifully. She’s nearly unrecognizable.

“Well, what do you think?” Her voice is a little shaken and quiet, but I can tell she’s over the moon excited, just nervous. Understandably so. I place my hands on her shoulders and stare deep into her eyes with the utmost seriousness, smiling at her.

“You are absolutely beautiful.” She really is embracing the aesthetic of Sȇlune, I’ll give her that. She reciprocates a smile and closes her eyes, inhaling once more. Out of nowhere, the front door bursts open and here comes Gale and Astarion, though they aren’t supposed to be here. And…other guests as well. A lot of them.

“What the Hells –” I exclaimed, completely shocked and a little terrified; I did not expect the door to open like that.

“Astarion! You aren’t supposed to see me!” Shadowheart panics and looks around the room, trying to figure out what to do. “Damn it… Too late now, I suppose.” Why on Earth could they possibly be here?

“Listen, it’s about to start pouring rain outside. We got mildly wet, but not too terribly at least, still somewhat presentable for a wedding. On that note, I told Astarion we could hold the wedding here at the tower. I know it’s last minute. I’m so sorry this happened,” Gale explains, looking at me with those brown puppy-dog eyes. I understand, situations happen, and luckily this is one that can easily be fixed. The ceremony was originally going to be outside at a nice venue here in Waterdeep, but of course it’s going to be pouring down rain on a special event like this. Damn.

I look over at Astarion and catch him admiring his bride, his red eyes twinkling as he smiles amorously at her. I suddenly remember the same look Gale gave me on our wedding day, and he still looks at me the same way many moons later.

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter where we get married, right?” Shadowheart mumbles, a smile forming back on her face. “Regardless, it’ll be a special moment for all of us to remember and that’s what counts.” Gale holds Jenevelle in his right arm while he holds out his left arm for me to grab. I hook my arm around his and we strut toward the library area to get settled for the ceremony.

“Reminds me of our wedding day,” Gale comments as he holds on to my arm. “I’m ready to witness our friends embrace the same feeling we did that day.”

“Oh, me too. I’m so happy for them. I wish I could relive that day, to be honest.” It’s true, I think about our wedding day all the time.

The many guests follow us through the tower, admiring the hallway of many paintings of cats and portraits of Gale as a child with his family.

“Wow, very impressive tower Gale,” Rolan comments. “I wish I didn’t live so far away so I could learn from the best. I mean it this time, you’re the best. Not Lorroakan… I can’t even say his name without flinching.” I just know Gale is blushing internally; the hallway is rather dark so I can’t see his facial expression.

“Maybe I’ll come down eventually, we can learn from one another. It’s always nice to be acquainted – erm, friends – with another wizard.” Gale’s voice is eccentric as he talks with our tiefling friend Rolan, and I love to hear it. It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten together and hung out; I believe the last time was a couple years ago after Gale came home from defeating those Bhaalists in Baldur’s Gate.

We make it to the library, opening the mahogany doors. The guests get seated in the room, awaiting for the ceremony to start. Karlach and Wyll take Jenevelle, so that Gale and I can walk down the aisle and stand at the front with Astarion. Alfira and a couple other bards are off to the side, playing their flutes, lyres, and violins to a song called “The Queen’s High Seas.” It’s a calming, beautiful melody I always had my mother play for me when I was growing up; a familiar tune that brings wonderful memories. Halsin stands up next to Astarion, prepared to initiate the ceremony. No one could possibly do it better than him, to be honest. Well, maybe Withers, but I feel he would drag out the ceremony longer than it needs to be. Then, we have Rolan getting the cake set up on the table over by the entryway.

Gale and I walk down the aisle, reminiscing our own wedding as we do so. No, no. This isn’t our wedding. It’s not time to cry, I think to myself. Gale and I split ways, where he stands next to Astarion and I’m on the opposite end, holding up a bouquet of daffodils. Astarion is trying to keep his composure, but I can see deep within his eyes he’s nervous as hell, when he’s normally the type to say, “I just want to get this over with.” This man has truly healed over the years.

Shadowheart gracefully prances down the aisle with her glowing presence. I notice Asher, who is now – barely – able to walk, sitting next to Wyll. If he were human, he’d be almost three years old, but alas he’s a half-elf and just now hitting the human-equivalent of a one year old. He reaches up at Shadowheart as she passes him on the aisle, his face lighting up as she approaches the altar.

“Mama, mum!” Those are the only two words he can say, but he said them so sweetly.

Shadowheart approaches Astarion and he turns around to face her, even though he already knew what she looked like to begin with. Oh well, though. They exchange glances of ecstasy as she stands before him. Halsin clears his throat.

“We are here on this absolutely beautiful yet rainy day to unite these two lovers to bind them together eternally with love. These two met through an unexpected journey after a nautiloid crash, not realizing their fate or love until reuniting again in Baldur’s Gate many moons after the defeat of the elder brain. Through the thickness of the most evils, they have stood with one another, facing challenges and unexpected losses.” Shadowheart’s eyes are tearing up, but she still manages to keep a perfectly beautiful smile. She reaches back for my hand and I take it as she tries to fight a river of tears.

“It’s alright, Shadowheart,” I whisper to her. Her and Astarion still hold an intense gaze. I can tell she truly loves him with all her heart, but at the same time, she’s wishing her parents were here. The two moon notes that her parents became after death are floating next to her on the altar.

“May Silvanus guide you both on this wonderful journey through marriage together. May your unconditional love be eternal,” Halsin adds. Astarion gently takes Shadowheart’s hands and they both close their eyes as a wave of light brushes over them, as if they’re being blessed.