#also the reason i could never romance karlach with durge

[thisshadowwrites]

the way durgetash has a stone cold grip on me

[kawareo]

Thank you lovely people for giving me a chance to ramble more about something (this is genuine, i mean no shade)

I find it really cool how every character has a parallel with Durge! In general every single romance pairing has reasons for why i think "yeah i could see them being good together", but I love those for Durge especially since I think about Durges way too much

Gale. Prodigy, Chosen of a God(ess) with a relationship that went far past god/Chosen, with him and Mystra being 'lovers' and Durge and Bhaal being 'family'. They were also both groomed to a degree to fulfill a role and have since fallen from grace of their gods.

Lae'zel. Raised in what is essentially a cult, having her entire world fall apart when she learns the truth about Vlaakith and Orpheus (while Durge's world falls apart when they learn about who they are in act 3). Cult has harsh and merciless punishments for those that disappoint, with death and beatings for githyanki and... Well. You know what, for Durge (looking at you, deleted bad ending).

Shadowheart. Having an equivalent of an electric collar on you that her God(ess) can punish her with (for Durge, that punishment isnt so immediate but Bhaal can literally stop their heart if he wants to). Amnesia. Having to choose between leading your cult or leaving everything you thought you knew and being an outcast. Depending on what you do with Shart, they also both kill their parents.

Karlach. Having your body changed without your consent, in drastic ways that you have no control over; the engine for Karlach, lobotomy + Slayer form for Durge (slayer in a more minor way but i will say that even in evil route you dont get a say whether or not you transform the first time). They both hurt people that get close to then without meaning to. They both have someone more powerful who sees them as property. Also, ties to Gortash.

Wyll. Daddy issues! And being rejected and outcast by your Father, wanting to prove yourself that you're still worthy. They were also both given shitty fucking names by their dads. They both at some point chose between power at the cost of freedom and freedom at the cost of literally everything; Wyll when he made a deal with Mizora, Durge at multiple points through the game when it comes to Bhaal. They both struggle with being tied to an evil, manipulative being that wants them isolated and weak and alone. Similar with Karlach, unwilling body modification, but specifically one that turns you into a 'monster'.

Astarion. 'Father'. 'Siblings' that you are in constant and brutal competition with, for momentary approval of your Creator who will never have enough of anything short but the world. Creator who's end goal very much includes you dying for him. Having no bodily autonomy as your Creator can literally violate your mind whenever. Sexual abuse. Struggling with bloodthirst! Your existence itself is violent, you can't live without hurting someone! (Bloodthirst for Ass, Urges for Durge)

Halsin. (Potential) guilt for something you have done, being pushed in a leadership position (Halsin at the grove, Durge with companions) that you may or may not be unsuited for. Being so, so alone, without anyone to care for your feelings. They both also have sides of them that they sometimes can't control, with the Bear and Urges, or more literally, the Slayer.

Minthara. A proud and efficent warrior that got one upped by a person they underestimated. Ties to Orin. Living as someone with the highest social status in a brutal, cruel society. Fanatic worship of an objectively evil god(ess) and then the betrayal that follows, waking up from quite literal brainwashing, seeing how your God(ess) turns against you.

And I could go on! Theyre all so good and interesting and depending on what path you decide to take, there is always something that Durge can relate to on with any companion! I tried to avoid repeating points or talking about my Durge specifically by just talking about what is set in canon for them, and there is still! So! Much!

[utilitycaster]

anyway this is obviously a wild shift in the topic of conversation, but I was talking about it in the group chat last night as a distraction and would like to continue the distraction if I am being honest, so, with the caveat that this is based off of Fandom Osmosis Observations and a few reads of reviews and I have at this time played neither of these games, some thoughts about BG3 vs. Veilguard and what I've seen. many thanks to @captainofthetidesbreath for actually knowing things about video games and answering my many questions.

also just putting this up front with all said caveats: if you disagree that is great, I am very open that this is an outside observation and I could be very wrong but I am going to block people who get hostile without warning, and make this nonrebloggable if too many people get hostile. You are always permitted to disagree but like, I don't really care about your opinion if you're not someone with whom I have a pre-existing rapport unless idk you're like, actually a BG3 or Veilguard official story writer who happens to be on Tumblr. If you're a player? You have all of your own biases and they are not mine. Save it for someone who wants to get in a fight about this; I am not that person.

Essentially, what I've seen in terms of criticism from Veilguard that isn't just rampant transphobia comes down to the following:

why am I not playing my previous character from Inquisition again

why am I limited to a fairly consistent through line for the story

But first, I'm going to talk about BG3. What's funny is I seem like a much more obvious candidate for playing BG3, as a longtime D&D player who has come around on Forgotten Realms as a setting. However, while I looked at it for a while, I eventually lost interest for a couple of reasons. One is that apparently all the characters are WAY too eager to romance you which is like, a fun fantasy for 10 minutes but would probably annoy me in the long run. Another is that everyone who watched early reviews and kept abreast with the game told me that there was a clear favorite companion (Astarion) and that many of the characters had most of their interesting flaws sanded down (eg: Wyll was apparently much cockier originally; Shadowheart even more petulant; and as these are perhaps the two characters I was most intrigued by, reducing them to something blander destroyed much of the appeal). But perhaps the most interesting one is that as a boring goodie two shoes sort of person, my thought back when I was like "yeah, perhaps I will play this" was "oh, I do not want to have a murderous urge within me."

It became very apparent, through watching people play through and post on my dash, that if you didn't specifically play as the Dark Urge, and didn't specifically resist that urge, the story didn't really cohere. I have to admit, I know the premise of BG3 very well (tadpoles), and I know a lot of shipping trends (put a pin in that), and I know some of the more obvious points within it (Astarion is a vampire, Gale and Karlach both have bombs in their chests somehow, Shadowheart bleaches her hair) but I don't really have a great sense of the ending, and I did not avoid spoilers.

It feels like BG3 is designed for people who have one of those massive spreadsheets of D&D characters they haven't had a chance to play that are meticulously kept and thoroughly realized...and don't really leave room for modifying to fit the campaign you will actually be playing in. It feels like an OC sandbox simulator unless you do actually pick the choice the writers actually wrote for (Durge), and while it's not technically playersexual...it kinda is. I mean, I am a big fan of the trend in video games towards making it possible to romance anyone because it conjures up the idea of a world of high-powered bisexuals running around, which is very enjoyable for me, but the criticism of the Mary Sue archetype originally was never "how dare you fantasize about being cool." It was "wow, the characterizations are all warped beyond recognition solely so that everyone is in love with this character, and that makes for a dull and unsatisfying story." If you're everyone's type, and it's for romance and not just sheer lust, then either everyone around you is boring and wants the same thing, or you are sort of bland and inoffensive, or else the story is bashing characters together without a good basis for a compelling romance. This is also compounded by the fact that the companions can't get together with each other if you're playing your own character and not an Origins character.

None of this is to say it's bad to like BG3 and again, I didn't play it; but it is why I ultimately said "you know, given the effort involved to play it for me, a person without a gaming system, it's not worth it."

Veilguard has specifically intrigued me for going against a lot of this. You have a lot of choices in your character build, but they're all fairly thematically consistent: you did something within your faction that was well-intentioned but upset higher-ups and so you need to step away for a while. This establishes a personality for you! We know why you're part of a faction but also something of a free agent at the moment. We know why you're here and why you might be a good candidate for the current mission.

I'm not going to go into detail for the choices because while I'm not avoiding spoilers I don't want to spoil a relatively new game for others, but a lot of choices are fairly parallel, not in an "illusion of choice" way - they have consequences - but in terms of hitting similar themes. You can only save one city and both are places you have seen and places your companions have connections to; while the exact details may differ you are telling a consistent story.

I also think the fact that the companions can romance each other in your absence is important too! They exist even when you're not there. They are not just here to woo you, and indeed, they might be a better match for each other. I've been informed this is true in Inquisition as well, and I think it's a much more rich world if you, as the player, as the person who can ultimately decide the fates of your companions, aren't the center of their personal life. I also think it prevents the ability to sand down companions to be more agreeable to you as a player if you have to make an NPC/NPC romance compelling (and I will freely admit that, in a move that is not at all like me, I was pretty well sold by a potential in-game NPC/NPC romance, which is usually not the thing that gets me into works of fiction).

I'm not the right person to speak to the Inquisitor not being a significant character because I did not play DA:I, and I get that 'well, this is a new game with a new protagonist, as there has been for every Dragon Age game' is still not necessarily an adequate explanation. Nor is "hey, maybe it's good to attract new players" even though as someone who is highly attracted as a new player that is my opinion. However, I want to go back to the point about Resist Durge being the strongest option in BG3 in terms of story by a long shot. When I was trying to learn more, I said "ok, so just like how you're Tav in BG3 and Rook in Veilguard, you're Lavellan in Inquisition, right?" and was told that you are not - that's just the elvish Inquisitor option. Obviously this is anecdotal, but the fact that one option was far and away the most popular and thematically resonant is an indication that perhaps bringing forth the Inquisitor is carrying over some of the limitations of that game, whatever they may be. The true argument is "they are trying to tell a specific story here, and it is about a different POV than the one you previously had."

And that's really my point. I know I'm not an expert here - in fact I'm usually quite hesitant to write meta about things in which I'm not highly steeped, and very critical of those people who do - but I think an outsider perspective is useful here. The thing that is drawing me to video games is a new way to experience a fictional narrative (the other game I have been meaning to play - and even own on Steam- is Disco Elysium). That's not what everyone wants! But it is what I want. And so I want to be put into a developed, thoughtful narrative, and I don't mind if my choices are restricted in order to support it, and if I am playing a person I did not entirely choose. In tech, there is a saying of "make it easy to make the right choice (and hard to make the wrong one)" and so if you need your protagonist to hit certain beats, you should make that the required protagonist.

I think a story is stronger if your choices matter but if there is something of a foregone conclusion because it gives the writers thematic throughlines. This might sound a little silly given that this blog is largely dedicated to Actual Play but the thing is, most actual play does have, if not a foregone conclusion, at least a strongly intended conclusion of "work towards uncovering this mystery and achieving this goal", though the success of said goal is not guaranteed. I would argue that when a campaign lacks that, it tends to suffer in all aspects. RPG video games almost always have a foregone conclusion, but that's its own liability. In actual play, lacking a forgone conclusion means you spin off in any direction and it's anyone's guess if it's coherent. In an RPG, having this conclusion but not supporting it through the rest of the game will make it feel contrived. I feel a lot of Veilguard criticism is focusing on small contrivances early on that really mostly matter to a highly specific subset of potential players that prevent much larger and less forgiveable contrivances later on.

Anyway. Again, I am an outsider here, and I'm not here to say that it's bad to have a more open-world, sandboxy game with a self-insert-y OC type; but I have to be honest, I'd rather explore that in a true sandbox of fanfiction or original fiction, which is significantly cheaper and in which I can actually tell the entire story I want to tell. I don't want to be given more choices if a lot of them will be profoundly unsatisfying as a narrative. I don't want to cut through the world like a hot knife through butter. I want to be affected by it, and that's very hard to do with a character whose only trait is "self-insert whom everyone wants to fuck" or "guy that already carries the baggage of years of personal headcanons and highly variable choices that are hard to account for for every single person who ever played the previous game."

[rederiswrites]

I'll be real with you I think I'm gonna scrap this Gale origin playthrough.

I just can't get into him, and worse yet I can't see him with the others romantically. That's not a Gale problem so much as that honestly I don't see much of a match between most of them! This isn't a comment on what anybody wants to ship, and I'm sure the fic authors are bringing their A game, but...echhhh

Karlach and Wyll I think could be good. Similar ages, both grew up in Baldur's Gate, surprisingly similar background with demons, both more inclined to help people than otherwise. Plus they can ride off into the sunset--err, lava river together in Avernus. But virtually all the others have some pretty significant mismatch in age, life experience, or both.

I wanted to romance Astarion with the Gale origin, both because I love the Astarion romance and because there are such great parallels in their arcs. But when I did what I think was a reasonable roleplay of Gale as snarky and a bit arrogant but basically a conventionally "good" guy that's not gonna think about conning people, Astarion hated it. Not exactly a huge surprise.

Shadowheart liked it, but her first romance scene did nothing for me when I tried, and honestly I find it very difficult to imagine romancing someone who literally doesn't remember who they are. Except possibly with Durge! Who also doesn't. Some great parallels there.

I had thought about Wyll, which could work, but I suck at playing without Shadowheart and Astarion, lol, so didn't get as much time to build up their relationship.

Argh. I thought it would be interesting to see Gale's arc from the inside, to see his thought processes that led to such a frankly awful ascent to godhood and have more control over them. But I feel like.... Blah.

Shoulda told Wyll about the orb. I actually never did tell anyone and then I stopped getting the prompt! Sux.

I think Durge may have ruined me, though. They're too important a part of the story. I love them too much.

I don't wanna redo all the act one shit I've just done. Again. Blah.

[koieio]

I think a lot of people who go up for bat for Larian, do not understand what is is Wyll fans are talking about when they talk about his lack of content or needing more focus. They hear, "he lacks content? but look at how many hours he has in this youtube video!" And I'm not sure if they've never actually watched those videos', played with Wyll in their party, both(in fact going through it you see a lot of shit like Character A talking to the PC while Wyll is in the bg. Or Wyll has a single line of dialogue, and the rest is a conversation with someone else entirely.). Whatever the case is.

If you've ever watched those videos you come across 2 things. When Wyll is interacting with characters like Mizora or his father who are integral to his story. The PC is the one doing most of the talking. And 2. Wyll shares a looott of his spotlight with other characters to the point where he gets pushed to the side so another character can stand in the spotlight. Sometimes in his own story/quest missions.

Let's talk about Wyll's Wymway use to be main, now a side-quest since it's what kicked off this latest kerfuffle. Honestly this quest was never about Wyll. This entire quest is more about the Emperor and his backstory than it ever was about Wyll. It ends with you learning more about the Emperor. The Emperor is even the one who gets the special Act 3 cutscene, not Wyll. The only reason it's associated with Wyll is because his father will give him the quest to go find the dragon if he's alive, but Wyll's father will give that quest to the PC regardless of if Wyll is there or not. And if he's not there then Florrick will give it to the PC. So Wyll ties to this quest is paper thin. But maybe there's something Wyll could personally learn from this quest or insight he could dro-no. Wyll has the same lines of dialogue/contribution to this quest as Gale or Astarion has. There's no special cutscene if you bring Wyll(similar to having no Act 1 romance he has no special Act 3 cutscene dedicated to himself either).

This happens a lot when the focus is meant to be on Wyll. Act 1 we're tasked with finding and killing Karlach, but the focus quickly shifts over to Karlach and becomes less about Wyll. Once again he's forced to share the spotlight, and even on the day where he is cursed, the camp is more focused on Karlach's recruitment than they are Wyll's torment(this was kinda gets fixed in patch 4?5? Where the companions finally comment on this, but it's all told to the player and not Wyll himself.)

Mizora first appearance, and Wyll is forced into silence and it's the player character who then interacts with her from then on there. Wyll might quip about how much of an asshole Mizora is from time to time. But when it comes to Mizora. Everything, from negotiating his freedom, to bargaining for better rewards, to the final decision on whether or not you the player want to sell Wyll's soul in exchange for his father information is left up to you. With no input of any sort from Wyll.

"Oh, but the other characters also don't get to make decisions either." This isn't true. Gale and Astarion make their desires very well known to the player. It might not be the "right" course of action, but they make it well known what it is they want to do, and you can choose to either support them or try and talk them into making a different choice entirely. This doesn't happen with Wyll. The choice is always left to the player. Always.

And when you put Wyll next to other companions, this lack of care/quality when it comes to his content becomes all the more apparently. Extra lines of dialogue of Astarion and Durge. Meanwhile still waiting on Duke Ravengard to acknowledge his son's marriage.

They patched in a platonic options to Gale's magic lesson after people made a big fuss about it. It's up in the air if we can politely decline Wyll's mandatory dance invitation without breaking his heart in the process or leading him on.

You get to comfort Shadowheart after her parents death. Meanwhile, I still believe Wyll's Act 3 romance is bugged for body type 4s.

They patched in an entire ending for Karlach going to Avernus after people complained about her ending. Meanwhile still no Act 1 romance for Wyll. Hell, you can even miss his Act 1 kiss if you flirt with too many people before talking to him at the party.

7 months, 6 patches and $60+ since release and we still can't get something a simple a single romantic greeting correctly fixed. I think at that point people have the right to start making "demands" of Larian. Like sorry not sorry, if that's what bother you the most. That people are tired of being patient and promptly ignored. But it seems like only the squeaky wheels in this fandom get listened to, so do as the romans do.

[bg3fandomcritical-active]

No. Some people just play his romance route, or friend route while actually paying attention to his story. "Sharran cleric is a secret sweetheart" - you know that only because you gave her a chance. If you gave Astarion the same chance you would learn that the vampire is a secret sweetheart as well

I'm the anon who sent in the ask you've been replying to, and first, I am somewhat impressed that someone would save my thoughts. Thank you for that.

Secondly, I'm a bit uncertain if this is a genuine reaction or bait, but I will respond since it gives me an opportunity to elaborate on my thought process.

I did romance Astarion three times (good Tav, good Durge, evil Durge) and I also pursued his friendship route as well as his "I hate this guy, but I don't want to create a powerful vampire lord" route. Please don't ask about my total playtime. I obviously adore his character, but people need to stop making him into Little Star, who did nothing wrong, ever.

I want to note that he does come across slightly better with main characters who practice tough love or who simply don't care about him too much. The personal dynamics improve somewhat if he is shut down very early.

However, the reality is that Astarion is portrayed as a mean and petty person in Act 1. At his worst, he is mean and petty towards individuals who are already in horrific situations. He has never demonstrated growth in this regard. You could argue that he behaves this way because of his trauma, but honestly, all companions have trauma; it's not a valid excuse. If you allow him to be a mean person, he becomes a slightly more interesting character and sets up a compelling role-playing route for the player.

He is also never shown to be self-reflective about his past or present actions, so many of the arguments claiming "he's actually different in Act 3" feel hollow.

I've seen that some people have brought up Karlach, but I believe Wyll presents a much closer comparison to Astarion. Both characters took a bad deal to survive and are forced to remain conscious while doing the bidding of their morally questionable masters. The reason why Wyll is rarely mentioned despite the clear parallels is that Wyll feels remorse for his actions and strives to adhere to his moral code despite his circumstances. Astarion doesn't. And it's fine.

.

[tadbitfooled]

ship bias

Send ‘Ship Bias’ and I will share up to 5 Ships I have a bias for for my muse!

I shall give for all 4 of my mains with either a detailed explanation or a really vague shallow reason, in no particular order

Durante Faust

Lae'zel - because he needs a tough lady to top him I mean. Uh. I just think the whole opposite things with him being a silly avoiding responsibilities kind of guy and her super serious, very responsible-ness would be a fun balance.

Rolan just because Durante flustering him sounds fun

now for a type of character, he would need someone with a firm hand but not a tight grip, someone forward and sure of themself, but also able to have fun and play around a little bit.

Wyll - just because Durante seems to be the type to play romance but be keen to avoid it, but I think Wyll could break that because he's so damn charming

Karlach - Could be cute. They would have fun together and once again, lady to top him. But I think it could be an interesting dynamic to say the least.

Gwenifar van Hol

Oh, someone who's super flirty and charming because she does not ever get the hint that someone's flirting with her because she just...Doesn't register the idea someone could find her attractive. And they just keep trying and she just thinks they're being nice it'd be hilarious.

Halsin - I feel like Halsin would appreciate how she does so much to help others. And Gwenifar would appreciate his wisdom and his whittling. She likes to paint so it'd be cute if he whittled figurines and she painted them.

Gale because sage4sage nerd bullshit. But also I think they'd just be super soft and cute, and the sheer irony of cleric healer with a god who values all life x wizard with a chronic pain condition whose goddess told him to blow himself up is great.

Shadowheart - I have no exact reason but they vibe really well in the game and I think Shadowheart having someone who's supportive but also able to say 'hey you need to think this through' is really good for her.

Um for spice reasons because of Ilmater vs Loviatar stuff...Someone involved in Loviatar like Abdirak...idk like. spice.

Talilah Bluethorn

A drow would be fucking hilarious her father would have an aneurism but don't be like. An overly cruel drow or something. A little nerd drow would be fantastic.

Alfira and her girlfriend, Lakrissa because they'd all be adorable and make a really nice cuddle pile thanks

An arranged set up would be hilarious due to her father's bloodline. She would not be interested in it at all and it'd be funny if they weren't too and both tried to sneak out of the event, helped each other, and then one of the elders is like 'oh so great you two met' and they're like 'what.'

Wyll because folk hero and Talilah has that heroic background with what her entertaining troupe would do (steal from the rich, give to the poor) and just they would have such a fun dynamic with his charm and romantic attitude and how she could match that with some playfulness.

Astarion because I really enjoy the thought of them finding each other annoying when they first meet because he held a knife to her throat and she headbutted him, but then they like each other's humor and find each other attractive and eventually go 'uh feelings have been caught.'

Tavinkas

Shadowheart - amnesia buddies. They're both struggling with abusive gods and trying to figure themselves out so it would be a mutual situation, with being able to give each other the push they need to get on the path they need to be on.

Wyll - look. He's charming, heroic, but also needs support but is fully capable of giving support back. Sure, he needs a few wake up calls to his situation but he would be so gentle with Tavinkas and gods know that's what he so desperately needs.

Someone just able to be gentle and supportive. He desperately wants to have gentleness in his life, as it was never something he was allowed to have.

I want the angst of Gortash and Durge thanks. They've both been dealt bad hands and Gortash just went with it but Tavinkas decides to find a new path and leave him behind. Just drive that dagger in.

Gale because Tavinkas does like intelligent conversation and learning things and I think Gale would be very good for that. Tavinkas is skilled in magic but I think he'd like to learn the finer points of it and Gale would be delighted to discuss it.

[thuranni]

ryker locksworth my fucking BELOVED - gen 3 + 7, story 3 + 15, romance 9

Does your Tav have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions?

generally he's easygoing- comments towards shadowheart, lae'zel, and gale are pointing out eccentricities like the others, covering for how he can't read them off the bat. karlach gets his most enthusiastic response where he'll say that woman could throw a rager that would put me under. i'm here for it. wyll also gets unique dialogue where ryker mentions as a fellow pact-bearer that he worries for wyll, and that he's too young to be doing this kind of thing (to which the pc can point out he was also doing the same thing at the same age, stop treating wyll like a kid, and he just goes Hey.)

Do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game? Can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the Player Character makes?

YES and he also likely reaches the culmination of it in ater the shadow-cursed lands after revealing his pact and the odd nature of the deal to the pc (the raven queen has my heart because my soul is already claimed), and helping him face off against raphael to strike a second bargain to mephistopheles to exchange a missing item stolen from him for ryker's soul. branching routes: forcing ryker to deal for his soul back, Persuading ryker to deal for his soul back, faiing a deal for his soul, and striking a deal for a different but powerful magic item. it's not the full package but it hits ryker somewhere deep regardless of if you get it or not, and his behavior in act 3 will change if he gets it back to be more cautious after having a huge mental breakdown of what was i risking myself for all this time.

How do they react to Astarion biting the Player Character?

ryker perhaps has one of the strongest reactions as a monster hunter who has made a career off of vampire hunting- those two do Not get along at all after the fact, and ryker does try to urge the player to watch the fuck out.

How do they react when the Dark Urge first reveals their amnesia and murderous thoughts to them?

natural instinctive cautious reaction- ryker will respond Kindly about it but with spectacularly high insight the pc can read that being a "fuck me are you going to get me next, let me get on your good side/see what's up". if durge reveals yeah i have no fucking idea i cannot remember shit, that gets sideswept for Total Curiosity and a diligent man on the case to figure out what the fuck is going on with you

How do they react if the PC has sex with Mizora? The Emperor? Haarlep?

mizora: BAD. he will scold the pc for being fucking gullible, and being lucky all she did was get you off with a billion soul deaths. if you're in a romance with him, he ends it there, not because you cheated (he's very polyam with a "whatever goes" policy) but because he does not trust your judgement. the emperor: ...curiosity and reluctance. he's clearly not thrilled about it at all but he definitely thought about it. haarlep: BAD BAD BAD!!! another romance-ender for similar reasons to mizora, but more you never engage with an incubus without knowing the terms you're agreeing to.

[agent-oo-z]

Thinking about bg3 but instead of a Durge/Tav it’s my beloved DND 5e pc Narea. Thinking about how she’d interact with all the characters.

Some background info on Narea: Narea is a half elf. Her parents both have the life span of a half elf instead of the respective elf and human ones because her elven parent was a cleric of the elven love deity and begged her to grant their human lover a longer life by taking some of theirs so they would never have to be apart. Her family runs a farm/animal sanctuary thing. She left home to go figure out who she was as an individual. Her companion animal is an African wild dog(which we called a painted wolf in game because Africa doesn’t exist). She’s a chronic NPC adopter but also mega autistic and prone to grudges.

Narea would hate Astarion so much(at least at the start). He’d pull the knife on her and she’d refuse to let it go even after she grows to care about him. She’d learn about Cazador and be like “alright I get that you have ultra mega super trauma but you also need to try and not be a dick all the time. That’s just how things work.” And then they’d kill Cazador and she’d be like “anyways now that you are free would you like to come live on my family farm and help us with night time chores and stuff you can drink as much of my blood as I can handle every day until I die and also we butcher our own livestock and can save that blood for you too or I could just teach you how to raise livestock on your own or how to hunt or-” and just. Ramble at him for hours about the ways her and her family could help him start a new life. Because she still holds her grudge but she’s a giant softie and wants to help people improve and grow and change.

She’d have mixed feelings about Lae’zel. Narea really doesn’t like excessive cruelty/violence so the whole vlaakith cult would make her uncomfortable. But she also recognizes that different cultures prioritize different things and all that. Once she learned about Orpheus tho? Home girl is gonna be chomping at the bit to kill the lich Queen herself.

Kinda a similar situation with Shadowheart. I think the most interesting thing about their early interactions would be seeing if Shart’s fear of wolves extended to her companion painted wolf Cantillë(roughly translates to four toes in elvish because African painted dogs don’t have duclaws and thus are four toed) because like. Shart isn’t afraid of dogs. And in game she isn’t afraid of the ranger’s companion wolf. They’d also bond over half elf things I think. Also Shadowheart would have such an amazing time moving in with an area’s family are you KIDDING ME?! It’s already like the farm/homestead she makes post game if you romance her it has a whole bunch of random animals. Narea’s parents would also welcome Nocturne in so happily. They’d just fully adopt both these poor cult victims and be so proud of them.

Narea and Wyll would bond quickly. Then the Mizora reveal would happen and the only reason Mizora doesn’t die on sight is because it would doom Wyll. Narea would want to kill her as soon as Wyll’s contract is broken. Also once he switches from warlock to ranger? Narea would be so obsessed with him. Giving him all the tips, helping him get gear made to keep his companion wolf Lily safe, helping him memorize edible and medicinal plants and fungi, all the ranger stuff. Cantillë and Lily would have puppy play dates.

Narea would fucking cry over Karlach having to go back to the hells. She’d be constantly checking in with Damon and Wyll and Karlach and doing everything in her power to help solve the engine problem. They’d do so much silly goofy bonding stuff together as well. Narea would dedicate herself to helping Karlach make up for a decade unable to have friends.

Narea would be very cagey with Gale. She doesn’t like people whose ambition goes(mostly) unchecked. As he grows during the plot of the game I think the two would get closer and eventually be friends. When Narea meets Tara tho? Game over. Gale invites her over for tea and her first question is always “will Tara be joining us?” Not because she doesn’t like Gale. She just fucking loves Tara.

Narea and Halsin would be best buddies. She’d see his observation notes about the owl bear and start fucking vibrating. They’d spend all their free time being life science nerds. Talking about animal behavior, plant properties, etc. they’d be such goobers. Honestly the character she’d be most likely to romance if he weren’t so much older than her. She’s like. Half elf equivalent of 25 human years old. Halsin would be more of a mentor/father figure for her realistically but if they were closer in age it would be such a perfect pairing.

Jaheira would be very much a grandma/aunt/mentor figure as well. They’d be besties tho. Like constantly snarking at each other and being catty but in a friendly mutual way where the both know each other’s boundaries and respect them. Jaheira would be invited back to the family home to meet Narea’s parents and they’d have big combined family get togethers every so often to catch up.

Narea would want to put Minsc and Boo in a jar and study them forever. They are so strange and fascinating. She fully believes Boo talks to Minsc and just wants to understand how and why. Nothing invasive/harmful but so many questionnaires and observational studies.

Assuming Minthara didn’t die during the goblin camp fight, and Narea met her at moonrise, she would never be able to fully forgive her but would assist in her breaking free of the cult of the Absolute and becoming less “evil” because that’s who Narea is. She may not ever personally like you or forgive what you did in the past, but she will never try to set you up to fail or sabotage you if you’re willing to genuinely try and improve. They’d never be friends, and if Narea ever learned Minthara was hurting innocents/enslaving people/etc she’d not hesitate to take her down. But she would be perfectly clear about that and give her ample fore warning.

Narea would be suspicious of Withers the entire time. Not necessarily total distrust, just a very heavy sense of apprehension.

Narea would adopt Scratch and the Owlbear cub no questions asked. She’d probably adopt every single cat you meet on the streets of the gate as well. Any creature without a designated home(aside from literal wild animals, the cub is a special case because it was orphaned very young and then just kinda grew up physically but not maturity wise because of a potion) she’s adopting them. Even Us. Maybe not Shovel but Shovel’s her own deal.

Narea would try desperately to convince Mol’s gang not to be involved with thieving/the guild because she has a personal history with organized crime(as a bystander turned random victim) that severely traumatized her. Mol would ignore her and be annoyed. Narea would try and convince them all to come live with her family and get paid for helping raise livestock and stuff.

Narea would probably try and fight Withers over Arabella leaving. She would take more convincing than Arabella most likely.

Narea would totally depose Wulbren and replace him with Barcus. She would love Barcus even tho he’s prickly.

Basically Narea would complete every single NOC quest and try to convince everyone who was involved in Criminal Activities(mainly more concerned about people being hurt as opposed to breaking the law to be clear) to come be employed on her family homestead. Or to at least start their own and raise ducks or something.

Her “to kill” list would be. Pretty long. Gortash, Orin, Kethric, Vlaakith, Shar, Mizora, Zariel, Raphael, Wulbren(if he tries some fuck shit), Cazador, Godey, the Emperor. But not Mystra even though she does not like the goddes.

The Emperor tho? Oh she’d rip his throat out with her bare hands. Finding out she was manipulated and lied to by someone enslaving essentially a POW who killed his best friend, A DRAGON, because his best friend realized he was no longer himself post ceramorphosis? She’s killing him so hard and so much. Probably wanting to curl up and die after learning that her own freedom and survival was only possible because of the enslavement of Orpheus. Might even offer to join the war on Vlaakith to try and make up for her involvement in his enslavement. I don’t think she’d be willing to turn into a kind flayer tho. I think she’d learn about what happened with the Emperor and be terrified she’d become the same if she changed.

Bonus: She technically has a romantic partner from the DND campaign she was in. Assuming he still exists in this alternate universe for her, Astarion would come on to her and she’d be like “sorry mate, I’m already spoken for” and then just. Never mention her boyfriend again because she’s a goober. He’d be with her at the reunion party and everyone would be like “??? Who the fuck is this?” And it would be very funny.

[dykexenomorph]

"show me yours and ill show you mine" ACTUALLY SOBBING

Anyway music related asks! As always answer whichever you want however you want!

1. OBVIOUSLY GOTTA SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LINE I JUST SAID?

2. The song Crosses got me thinking, Mina obviously helped everyone else with their problems but do any of the companions try and comfort\help her? And if so does she accept the help?

3. "When you saw the dead bird, you started crying" is actually so interesting to me cuz its MinaxKarlach, does Karlach hold any grudges against Mina for being durge? And what were your thoughts exactly w that song?

4. No question here just Saint Bernard Mina </3

[FOR context, these asks are about my mina chara playlist, if for whatever reason anyone wants it feel free to ask and ill make it public 👍]

1- tbh this song is mostly on this playlist bc i feel it sorta describes how mina sees herself in her and karlachs relationship? its one of those times where the overall song isn't maybe a good parallel, but a few lines of it fit to a T. that specific line is fairly self explanatory though i feel LMAO, its just mina and karlach swapping horror stories about their past (ESP since i feel karlach likely wasn't able to be the best of people pre-worm. she talks herself about not doing anything for the folks in elturel out of worry for what it'd mean for herself)

2- while most of the companions are sympathetic towards her and maybe try to lend a listening ear, i feel jaheira and minsc are the only ones who actually get anywhere in terms of helping mina. from the moment jaheira confronts mina about being bhaalspawn, she's making sure to keep an eye on her and tries her best to help her when the urges come along (her and minsc are the only ones who are able to read her well enough to know when she's trying to battle an urge). mina LEAPS at the chance to finally share the burden with someone else. some of the companions probably tried talking to her about it pre act 3, but there was no way in HELL she was gnna risk losing the relationship she'd built up w any of them by talking about her urges. she'll never say it, but she's incredibly grateful for jaheira being as stubborn and blunt as she is. mina probably would've had to deal with everything alone had jaheira been any less firm about confronting her. (also unrelated to everything i just said but crosses is actually technically one of the songs leftover from when wyll was the one mina was romancing. NOW i see it as her being there for karlach, but before it was wyll helping her)

3- so this song is ANOTHER ONE where its not the entire song tht fits, but just a part of it. the last like. minute or so of the song (from "if i could give you the moon" to the end) is EXTREMELY them coded to me. the line that you're pointing out in specific ("when you saw the dead little bird / you started crying / but you know the killer doesn't understand") just makes me think of the HUGE mental disconnect pre act 3 mina has from her feelings. like, before getting to act 3 and acknowledging the depth of her feelings for karlach + knowing what the deal is w her own personal history, mina has trouble understanding affection and DEFINITELY doesn't quite know how to show or receive it yet. i dunno if that parallel makes sense outside of my own mind, but hopefully i explained it well enough?

4- [nodding sagely in aggreement] saint bernard mina