#also some said maybe bard but idk that doesnt seem likely

[seijatachiis]

had to do a separate post for amiya <3

so obviously i only e2'd amiya bc i had to for that one map but i learned i really liked using guard amiya! i wont bother masteries on caster bc even tho i didnt have eyja early on, i just? never really used amiya. absinthe was my go-to caster. but she is the protag or main chara w/e you wanna call it so i felt i had to do a bit more investment, esp if im playing 5s more. i dont regret! i just wish we could get her space skin... (and id love planter amiya bc i saw someone on reddit suggest greenknights bc its not a common colour used.... and id love to try personally)

also leaks mention in tags

[softness-and-shattering]

I was fully expectinflg ghe hag to have lair acrions, after all that warning eith the door and the myltie stage descent into the lair. Though I guess having the duplicates fulfilled the same role re action economy, and a party of four isnt so big, its not like a cr or d20 party of 6-8. Ive played in bigger groups and its not great.

I wasnt feeling fantastic today so I noodled around unfinished act 1 quests. I found the letter to Kagha. Im torn bc its super fun to have a secret backstory of shadow druids but like. She cant just be a bitch, she has to be 'evil' too? Idk.

Curious if Ill get a dialogue option to tell Halsin about it and how he'll react. I still cant seem to add him to my party. Does he just hang out at camp?

I also found the Harpers lookout. Ive found the scuffed rock, and a similar significant rock by the bridge on the Risen Road but neither Laezel or Larlach can throw them, shoving does nothing, shatter does nothing. Do I specifically need thunderwave? Or a telekinesis spell? What am I missing?

While trying to work out if Wyll can learn thunderwave (seems not) I discovered he has Gaseous Form so I tried using that to investigate some of the burrows Ive come across. The risen road one behind the bouse just leads into the crllar. Havent actually looted that yet. Went into the owlbear cave but couldnt find the burrow in there. And then I remembered Auntie Ethel and got caught up in that quest area.

Thr guy hunting Asterion is interesting. Left him peacefully. Astarion doesnt like me much. I wanted to ask who was huntong him but instead he asked where he was to be taken. Baldurs Gate of course. All roads lead to Baldurs Gate. Excepting that I have quests in thr city like finding Dammon and Mol, Id be starting to believe getting there is the end of the game. I want to buy my people nice clothes! Especially Karlach! And I took Wyll out of armour so he could use mage armour and he was suddenly rather naked. Switched him to showing camp clothes but it was a bit silly.

Mm at one point I directed Wyll to eldritch blast a redkap and instead he used arms of hadar on my bard. I dont know if I misclicked badly or if his patron is messing with him but it didnt happen again. I did swap him out soon after.

Slaps BG3 thus bad boy can hold so many entrances to the underdark! Theres the selunite temple, the drop from the spider lair, the elevator from the zhentarim hideout (considering gaseous form to loot those juice treasure rooms), the feather fall portal from Ethels lair, am I missing any? Presumably the moon towers/baldurs gate exit.

I was partway through the arcane tower when I started today but I wanted lighter questing. And geez area/act 2 has so many magical weapons. Im tempted to keep them all for some super specific cirumstance but id probably do better to sell them. Slowly working out what can be sold.

Im actually kinda mad that rope isnt practical. I got into a dumb pickle in the caravan cave with the gnolls. Jumped down to loot an area and two of my guys couldnt jump back. Grabbed rope and...its useless. So I took a long redy and fed em potions of giants strength and they made the leap easy. (Speaking of I am so tempted to open the case but those letters were very strict about not opening it and idk who its for and what their significance may be. Maybe its treasure. Maybe its a chest full of eye-yeerks. Who knows?)

Im also not absorbing the other eye slugs. Was it the narrator or dream guardian, the first time I used the illithid power, who said "You have lost something you will never get back". I do nooot trust it. Probably second playthrough Ill do it just to play with the game mechanic. Also romance Minthara maybe. I dont trust the sleep guardian but I dont super distrust her either. Idk what her deal is. But we're not absorbing more slugs losing more of ourselves no thanks. Back to the yeerk pool with them.

I do really love the quest diamonds that tell you where to go. "Find my missing husband please" oh there he is he got quite lost huh. Im still laughing at "and dont try ransom him back to me or you'll be skiny and stuck with an old man". The dialogue is really good. Laezel doesnt say shes monogamous, she says "I was interested but all the dogs have been picking you over. I prefer fresher meat". A little degrading, but at leasy shes not doing some weird jealousy thing. Usually I face with my bard. But then I used Karlach to talk to Dammon and all the dialogue options are perfectly in her voice, its great.

Im also loving the map design. Theres plenty going on and plenty to do, but not so much that you get lost in the weeds. Enough that it feels like a big grand world full of history and places to explore that arent directly plot relevant. Its a delicate balance of referring back to main events and keeping things tangential. (The women dealing w the hag for her husband. I never got to tell her about her brothers?? I thought it would be the first dialogue option but no zomvie busband abd off she goes to find their corpses on the fucking path?! Hut the devs cant think of *everything*, its ok).

Also the little things, undergrounds start getting spidery consistently, underground lairs lead to the underdark its very....verisimilitudinous???

Im also wondering if I can fo the underdark and the mountain pass righer in serial or at the same time. I do need to find the githyanki for Laezel that was our very first lead. Plus double the xp double the loot but I was forced into telling Halsin one or the other so idk if the game forces the issue.

K I think thats all I have to infodump today. Oh except seems like Shadowheart was a selunitr kid and thats pretty fucked. She likes me a lot. I dont think I reciprocate to that level. But astsrion doesnt like me much so yknow. Win some lose some.

[probably-haven]

after binge reading i have come to a new revelation: I’m not a fan of most Xiaoven fanfics

Don’t get me wrong, I love the ship and its one of my favorite to think about.... but most of the fanfiction for the ship just- doesn’t sit right with me for a number of reasons. 

Disclaimer: these are personal opinions from my own taste and are in no way an attack against any authors out there, because frankly fanfic authors are great and not like i could do better lol. As these are personal opinions, I acknowledge here and now that a number of people disagree and that they are under no obligation to change their opinions in any way as it is not and never will be my intention to tell others what they should be thinking That said- read at your own risk if you want- meh, anyway-

time to share some opinions that have been on my mind lately

The biggest reason.... is how they handle Xiao. And I don’t even mean mischaracterization because Xiao is such a complex and yet simultaneously simple character that as long as you’re somewhere in the range of “Xiao vibes” it’s really hard to write him out of character because of his complexities. What I mean is something that i actually completely agree with as being accurate to his character. In nearly every single fanfic I’ve seen, there is some element of idolization that Xiao has for Venti, or for the sake of reference, Barbatos. He tends to think himself beneath Barbatos and/or indebted to him, whether that be because he’s an archon, because he saved him, or simply because of Xiao’s tendency to dehumanize(yes i see the irony in that word usage) himself.  This by itself isn’t an issue but its often how this trait of his is treated.

Imma just list a few ways I’ve seen this be handled within Xiaoven fics. - It isn’t handled, it’s just there and accepted as a part of who he is in the story - It isn’t handled but his trait is treated as source of humor within the story - Venti(and others) roll with it (finding humor in it, just cant change it, encouraging it, making jokes about it, etc.) - Venti takes advantage of it(whether accidentally or purposely) - it’s actually addressed(by Venti or someone else or the narration- can go a number of ways, but just- even a brief reference to the fact that its not a good mindset fits in here) - savior!Venti(Where venti disagrees with it but the way it’s written gives off “god among mortals” vibes- like he’s just being humble and truly is above him in reality) - its the focus of the story  - not directly addressed but shown to be destructive.  - they chose not to not include this in the story’s characterization of Xiao(just saying that this is valid ahead of time) Theres others but i have a lot already.  Note that I tend to read more ‘serious-toned’(idk if that makes sense) fics so that may skew my perception

Now there’s a few that i have issues with on their own- both instances of it not being handled, Venti(and others) rolling with it, Venti takes advantage of it(purposely(and without good intent)), and savior!Venti. Xiao not only has this trait, but he is unfamiliar with what is normal in relationships or emotions as a result of isolation and inexperience. He is also either not aware of or not concerned with what is considered strictly “healthy.” Combining these makes for a rather dangerous combination and just accepting it as “oh he’s just like that, it’s who he is” or making it out to be something funny- It’s not wrong or bad by any means necessarily, and I could still possibly enjoy it to an extent depending on a series of different factors, but its- not as often.  Even in the case where I do enjoy reading it however, I would still feel uncomfortable sharing it with or recommending it to others because in the first instance it feels like normalizing a destructive and dangerous mindset, and in the second case it does the same while simultaneously making a joke of it. It’s the same deal with Venti or other characters rolling with it, but that’s probably gonna be mentioned later too. Not to say that this is a “wrong” way to handle it, that it makes the fic bad, or that authors even are normalizing anything by doing so, just that in my specific instance- not a fan. 

I’ll get to the others when i talk more about Venti, but for now: It’s the focus of the story. I think I saw like... 2? where the story was like- focused on this and why its a problem which- power to them, address those real world problems like a boss- but also i wouldn’t actively seek it out or anything- like, good job, but doing so just leaves it open neutrally for other factors to decide how good a story i think it is. 

not directly addressed but shown to be destructive. You’d think i wouldn’t like this- but frankly in fanfiction not everyone wants to address every character flaw verbally because it can through off story, narration, dialogue, and general flow to do so. This can be with an event, an action, a dialogue, a mere comment, making it actually fit into the it’s actually addressed category except that its- subtle enough to make its own category. plus i live for show not tell- in everything- its a thing. im- very much a fan of when the fics do this but the subtlety is easy to miss and its not common so- 

It’s actually adressed- doesnt have to be a lot- just mention anywhere or imply anywhere that maybe idolizing someone as a god and savior and being in a relationship with them while having little knowledge of standards, emotions, relationships, or healthy behaviors in general- maybe isnt the smartest idea in the word. (”Call me Venti, not Barbatos” by itself is not enough to fit in this category tho as a note)

-

Now lets talk about Venti...

uh.... those who have followed me for awhile will probably already know this but... I have a lot of opinions on Venti and a pretty- “niche(?)” perception of his characterization that isn’t shared by a lot of others- so I don’t actually read as much Venti fanfic in general as you might expect because I often end up disagreeing with how writers portray him, which again, in no way is their characterization wrong, but- “their perceived truth” conflicts with “my perceived truth” and by extent so does the characterization, though neither is any more correct than the other from an objective point of view, if that makes sense... but anyways now that that’s said, moving on before this becomes a philosophy lecture, as fun as that would be for me.  I’ll try to keep my “perceived truth” out of this for the first bit. 

Venti’s response to this: 

He rolls with it: this depends on the mood of the fanfiction. If they dont put a lot of stress on that trait of Xiao’s it totally fine but if the trait seems to be a major part of Xiao’s character, it seems like normalization once more. (more on this later)

he takes advantage of it purposely: if its an AU or something and Venti’s like a villain(i saw a few) then- villain venti isnt my cup of tea but i have no qualms. If they don’t portray Venti in a negative light while having him take advantage however that’s a bit uncomfortable to read for me because it feels like normalizing taking advantage of that mindset as well as the mindset itself. However, i did see a number of instances of Venti using it as leverage for like- self care- which i definitely have no qualms. Xiao: [insert probably destructive idolizing statement about being indebt] Venti: How bout you pay me back by actually sleeping for once smh or other variations are okay and depending on the vibe are actually a really fun dynamic as long as it doesnt turn into romanticizing or normalizing it, y’know?

Venti accidentally taking advantage of it.... I love angst- and in most of these theres a sense of guilt when he realizes- and i just think thats a lovely way of addressing the dangers of such a mindset for both sides. As long as it doesn’t keep repeating to the point of romanticization its totally cool to read in my eyes(not irl ofc). If Venti never realizes he accidentally took or is taking advantage it feels a bit like normalization, and if he does but just- doesn’t care thats- a rip.

savior!Venti...... i- i hate. the story giving off vibes that Xiao’s mindset is technically correct while Venti oh so humbly tells him to treat him as an equal like the wonderful and charitable person he is.... i just- no. of course thats over dramatizing it- I think the main thing that gives it this vibe is when Venti doesn’t seem either concerned, surprised, uncomfortable, or otherwise have a negative feeling towards Xiao’s mindset. Just- it makes the whole thing weird in my eyes when Venti doesnt really seem to have his own reason to oppose the mindset idk- 

-

fact time!

Venti is the god of freedom. His backstory is freeing Mondstadt from a god’s tyrannical reign. His origin is a windsprite, just another breeze bringing changes for the better. His form is a nameless boy who played an instrument and then died, thus failing at his only dream and only ever accomplishing anything because of the help of others. He slept for a thousand years after the archon war to avoid putting Mond under the rule of yet another tyrannical god. He only even became a god because Andrius chose to let him. He wouldn’t have even had that chance if the nameless bard had survived, he’d remain just another wind while his friend ascended to godhood. Venti sacrifices his own power for his people’s freedom. 

now that I’ve laid out a number of canon facts, time for opinions:

Venti has little to no desire to be seen as a god. He thrives in, comes from, and emphasizes a lack of superiority in quite nearly everything. The first Ragnvindir, who canonically turned his back on Venti after Decarabian’s fall, likely did so because one- he anticipated power would corrupt and Venti would soon become just another tyrannical god, two- he suspected Venti used the nameless bard in an attempt to rise to godhood, or three- idk insert other possibilities to acknowledge again that i could totally be wrong.

Look me in the eyes and tell me Venti wouldnt trade godhood for his friend in an instant. His godhood was only granted to him because his friend died and could easily serve to constantly remind him of what could have been and what he lost. Venti takes no enjoyment from being seen as superior and in my opinion, I feel that it could actually make him largely uncomfortable when his divinity and abilities as an archon get involved-

also self promotion for my favorite posts- check out #archon war era venti if thats interesting to you

so anyway Venti rolling with it or making jokes about it just doesn’t sit right with me.- 

-

Okay! enough talking about that mindset!

idk- i have... a few/lot of other gripes and stuff or just things that kinda throw off the vibe for me but that’s the main one plus my general personal pickiness when it come to Venti fanfics- but this has gotten long enough already- 

idk i just felt like rambling about it and i haven’t done a long post in a while so-

again, I love the ship and its actually one of my favorites- just the fanfic isnt my thing..... that doesn’t mean i don’t still love it and come up with a whole ton of brainrot and ideas on it tho lmao

[doom-of-war-writing]

Yo it’s me again. How about Kaeya, Diluc and Zhongli Shlongli (separately) asking their crush or lover to dance w them? Maybe at a festival Liyue or just as a drunkenly spur of the moment decision at the Dawn Winery owned Angel’s Share? Perhaps in front of the cathedral when a bard played a nice tune or something of the sort. Idk. Feel free to only do one or two of the characters if you want or add a different one if you had a fitting idea for them. Thanks again!

Diluc, kaeya and big dong zhong wanting to dance with their crush/lover

Thank you for the request bro

Feel free to request more as well : )

I assume you wanted scenarios? So ill try my best

Characters: kaeya, diluc, zhongli

Warnings: drunkness sorta, not really detailed tho (kaeya)

@strawberrymilkuwo

———————————————————————————————-

Kaeya

—— if Crush

• A bit more hesitant

• Def hes more shy around his crush

• Probably a little drunk when he asks you

• Stumbles a bit over his words

• Even if drunk, hes still a pretty good dancer

• Probably just wraps his arms around you to ‘dance’ though

• On the chance that he does dance somewhat properly, its still a bit slow

You had been watching the bards performance from the bar, unaware of the adoring gazes from a certain calvary captain. You had been so enraptured with the bards performance, you hadn’t even noticed the calvarys captains approach, until he sat down shuffling the chair abit.

“Hm? Oh, hi kaeya!” You greeted happily, the male looked at you and smiled

“Ah, h-hello, (y/n). I didnt notice you there” kaeya had a faint slur on his voice and his cheeks were flushed lightly. He fiddled with his fingers and glanced nervously at your hands.

“Kaeya are you alright? You seem nervo-“

“(Y/n), please dance with me!” Kaeya cut you off, he got a bit louder, but luckily no one payed too much attention

“Thats what you’re all fumbling over yourself for kaeya? Should’ve said that sooner, i would love to dance! Come on!” You grabbed kaeyas hand and pulled him off his seat, he assumed his position in front of you and wrapped his arms around you. both of you settled into a nice rhythm of steps, although you were pretty sure this wasn’t a real dance.

“(Y/n), i love you” kaeya murmured quietly into your hair unnoticed by you.

——if Lover

• Way more confident

• Would probably just grab you and pull you to his chest

• Probably does this anytime their is music

• He just cant get enough of being near you, and dancing just gives him an excuse

• Can dance

• And he does, prefers slow stuff, cause it doesn’t matter if hes hugging you while dancing

Kaeya had been telling you story when the bard started playing, after which he stopped talking and started to watch the bard and his performance. You had turned your attention to the bard as well, kaeya watched you with a fond expression a small smile playing on his own lips

Kaeya stood and brushed himself off, gaining a confused look from you

“Are you alright kaeya?” You tilted you head standing as well, when kaeya grabbed your hands and tugged you out into the opening, a swift tug bringing you into kaeya’s chest

“Now im more than alright” kaeya hummed leading you out a bit more and hugging you swaying with you, after a bit you both did start to somewhat actually dance with footwork and stuff as well.

“I love you” kaeya hummed rubbing your back

“I love you too, kaeya” you mumbled into his chest, smiling brightly.

Diluc

—— if crush

• Probably would have to be at angels share

• Mainly watches you

• Would take a few of your visits to his bar on his shift to get confident enough to ask you

• Might have done it out of jealousy, probably kaeya

• Also prefers to sway, but like, nothing else, kaeya implements some elements of dance and diluc just will sway with you

Diluc was aggressivly cleaning a glass, red glare boring a hole into the back of calvary captains blue head, kaeya had approached you at the bar and initiated a conversation that had felt like it lasted hours for diluc, but in reality it had only been 30 minutes. He frowned as you luaghed at something kaeya had said.

He watched as the bard was setting up to do another song, and quickly observed kaeya watching the bard, diluc glanced at you and then back at kaeya, another small frown making its way to his face. He set down the glass and was about to grab another when he heard the bard start to play, he stopped and turned around, staring at you and then he watched kaeya turn. In a spur of panic diluc moved forward and tapped your shoulder

“Ah (y/n), would you like to dance with me?” Diluc offered a tiny smile at you, face flushing a deeper and deeper red as he realized what he said, and the fact that you were giving him such a dazzling smile

“Of course! I’d love to!” You smiled brighter, diluc felt like he could die, his heart was pounding against his chest. He nodded and went around the bar, frowning at kaeya when the blue haired male winked at him.

“Alright then, come on” diluc mumbled offering his arm to you

“So impatient” you giggled, taking his arm and letting yourself be tugged into dilucs chest.

“Hmph” diluc grunted trying to hide his ever reddening face in your hair, wrapping his arms around you and doing his best to stumble dance with you.

—— if lover

• Would dance at angels share if it wasnt too busy

• Again, doesnt really dance, just wants to kinda hug you and sway and thinks thats good enough

• Would dance at angels share fr if you ask enough

• Like actual footwork, would act annoyed but he enjoys it

Diluc sat at his desk going over all the papers and orders. adjusting his reading glasses he sighed and moved his glasses to rub his tired eyes.

Diluc stretched in his chair and stood up, looking out the window at the dark sky. He quickly turned when he heard a soft knock on the door

“Hm, come in” diluc managed to stifle a yawn as he slid off his reading glasses. his eyes widened when he saw you coming in, rubbing your tired eyes.

“What are you doing up? Its late “ you yawned coming over and hugging diluc

“I was working, but come on, you should go to bed. I still have ome more work but i-“

“No, im not going to bed until you do” you hugged his tighter, making diluc sigh. Diluc smiled and wrapped his arms around you, beginning to sway back and forth with you in his arms, while softly humming into your hair.

Zhongli

—— if lover/crush

• He probably treats you the same wether your together or not

• Maybe a bit more romantic in relationship idk

• Actually dances, litterally he actually will do proper form and footwork

• If you dont know how

• He’ll teach you

• Enjoys humming while you dance

You were at a festival in liyue clinging to zhonglis arm as you both navigated your way through the crowd, zhongli had said something about a surprise and you were quite confused, he was usually very open about what you two did.

“Zhongli, where are we going?”

“You’ll see, we’re almost there, love” zhongli hummed a small smile setting itself on his face, you tilted ypur head but decided it couldnt be that far, so you decided to take zhonglis word for it

Eventually you both enterd an opening in the crowd, their were a few other couples dancing together and chuckled

“Is this your surprise, zhongli? Dancing?” You chuckled walking to stand beside zhongli

“Of course, come on, we’re not here to watch after all” zhongli chuckled and pulled you out into the clearing, pulling you closer and gently leading you around a fond smile on his face as he looked down at you, ignoring every time you would step on his toes or luaghing a bit when you tripped or stumbled before helping you steady yourself again before continuing with the dance