#but halsin deserves to have a moment to see it happening

[leopardmuffinxo]

The curse has been lifted, the lands cleansed of the shadows. Ketheric's reign of living death is over. Your courage has been tested, and in this, at least, you have triumphed.

[autistichalsin]

One thing that is VERY important to me is Tavs/Durges/other LIs who fix Halsin just as much as the other way around.

Tavs who call Halsin cute, because NO ONE calls big strong men cute, it's just not a thing that happens, and he pretty much bluescreens the first time he hears it.

Tavs who let Halsin open up about his hurts and pains without judging or blaming him.

Tavs who tell Halsin leaving the Grove is the right thing, but that it doesn't matter because he is doing so much good at the commune, and it doesn't matter what happened in the past.

Tavs who tell Halsin the Shadow Curse was never his fault.

Tavs who understand the complexities of Halsin's feelings about his captivity.

Tavs who promise Halsin that of COURSE it doesn't scare them that he sometimes loses control of his bear, because they can see how hard he works not to give in to his instincts.

Tavs who promise they aren't going anywhere, including leaving him or dying.

Tavs who take care of Halsin when he gets sick.

Tavs who promise Halsin that after all he's done, it's okay to just rest at the commune, and that he doesn't always have to be doing something for others to deserve good things happening to him.

Tavs who tell Halsin they never regretted going with him for a single moment.

Tavs who rescue Halsin from Orin, who hear him talk about the other times he got kidnapped and his loved ones never saved him, and instead promise that they will never not come running if Halsin needs them.

Tavs who promise that Halsin is worthy, that he doesn't have to give them the moon for them to be interested, that he doesn't have to be perfect. That his flaws are a part of him, and they take them with him.

THAT is the kind of thing I go nuts for!

[randoimago]

Can I request headcanons for gn crush fell first but Baldur's Gate 3 Gale, Wyll, Halsin, and Astarion fell harder please?

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Character(s): Astarion, Wyll, Halsin

Note(s): This was a lot of fun to write, hope you enjoy!

Edit: Aug 19th, just told that Gale is missing. I'll add his part when I'm able to. Thank you guys for the likes and reblogs on this post ❤️

Astarion

The signs were easy to see. The look in your eyes, the way you held yourself when you spoke to him. It was almost too easy to speak sweet words back and use your love against you. He's done it many times before, it's a twisted routine he's memorized.

You willingly let him feed from you. You listen to him finally talk about Cazador. You agree to let him have his revenge. It doesn't feel right. Manipulating you for his own gain is what he was after, but it doesn't feel right.

Astarion would never admit he's in love, it's something that he's long abandoned. How could a monster like him fall in love when an even greater monster holds his leash? But it happens and he doesn't know how to feel, what to do. There's guilt with seeing the looks you give him, the way you hold yourself. He doesn't deserve it. As much as his long-dead heart yearns for it, he doesn't know if he can ever deserve it.

Halsin

Not one to give his heart over easily. His body, sure, but not his heart. And yet there is something about you. Perhaps it's him being relieved that his trust was placed wisely with you. But hearing your flirtations has him eagerly replying.

He notices the looks you give him, the eagerness as you speak to him. Halsin can't help being amused and flattered that you are so obviously in love with him. He doesn't quite know what he did to deserve it, but he's not going to push you away. There's some things he needs to do first, promises he needs to fulfill, but afterwards he'll be happy to give you his all.

And when he finally does, he can't help how he feels in return. Halsin is old, he's lived and loved many times in the past. And he is happy to live and love with you for as long as you'll have him. And he hopes you'll have him for however long you both have.

Wyll

Honestly the one to start to have a crush on you first, but he has so much going on that he doesn't want to let himself fall in love. Not when he's a hypocrite and fraud.

But even with the Mizara reveal, even as he's forced into the hells to grow horns, even through all of that, you stay with him. You don't treat him differently, you just check on him, making sure he can still be okay despite it all. And it just makes his heart beat faster.

Doesn't even realize that you've already fallen in love with him as he's falling for you too. Inviting you to dance with him took zero effort, holding you close and looking into your eyes just made him so happy. For a moment, he wonders if he deserves this amount of happiness, but he's had so much taken from him. He'll be selfish and fall in love with you.

[avocado-writing]

Could I request headcanons for Astarion, Gale, Wyll, Halsin, Dammon, Rolan, and Zevlor react to his gn crush telling him that they're glad they had a chance to meet him despite everything they have went through? They also mentioned how they would have never met him if everything (the plot itself 😂) didn't happen!

my most gorgeous anon you certainly may!!

Astarion

Laughs, but not at you. At the situation - this whole thing, mindflayers and all, has been ridiculous.

But he takes your hand in his and holds it, looking into your eyes with a depth of sweetness you don’t often see.

“Me too, my darling. I’m glad for every blood-drenched moment of it… though maybe I’d appreciate not sleeping on ground so much.”

You open your mouth to bicker back, but he captures your lips in a kiss instead, and rests his forehead against yours after.

You know he’s happy it happened, too.

Gale

You whisper this to him in an intimate moment, cuddled up together on his bedroll.

He pulls back to look at you, studies your face to see if you’re being sincere.

Wipes some hair from your face, softly. He speaks with such reverie it is as if he is making a vow.

“I’d do it all again, my heart. Every wretched second of it, if it meant you would be waiting for me at the end.”

Kisses you deeply, and the two of you know that you need no more words for now.

Wyll

Takes your hand and holds it to his heart. Lets you feel the way that it beats

”My darling, if I had a choice, I’d never wish this upon you. I’d hope for a kinder life where we discovered each other in a time of peace, where I could court you properly, like you deserve. But seeing as we cannot change the past… I can only be glad we went through this, and that I had the opportunity to meet you.”

Kisses you so sweetly, and through that kiss you know he means every word he says.

Halsin

Holds you ever so tightly.

“My heart. Nature has created many great marvels, but none that could possibly rival you. If I could spare you from the path you’ve been made to tread, I wish I could say that I would… but I would never give up the chance to meet you.”

Buries his lips against your hair, whispers his adorations to you.

Lets you know that you are the most treasured thing in his heart, and he’d change nothing on his path to meet you either.

Dammon

Puts down his forge hammer, turns to you with the softest look in his eyes.

Takes a moment to wipe his hands before he takes yours.

”I’m so glad that I met you, too. This path has been treacherous but I can’t regret a single footstep.”

Kisses you so sweetly. You know he will help protect you for every step forwards, too.

Rolan

Pretends that he thinks you’re being overly sentimental and maudlin, but you can see the way he smiles.

“Well, I’m not sure I would do it all again… but I’m glad that you would…”

You harrumph and he pulls you into his arms, pressing his lips to yours.

“I am happy that I met you though, my light.”

Zevlor

He takes a moment to digest this confession.

Kisses you deeply, caresses your face with his battle-callused hands.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he tells you, voice thick with emotion.

You stand there, basking in the other’s love, happy.

[parvulous-writings]

Could I request headcanons for Astarion, Gale, and Halsin realising his feelings for his gn crush?

Warnings: mentions of Astarion's trauma. I added a scene that doesn't technically exist in-game to flesh things out a bit with Halsin.

Notes:  Please, Tumblr... More Halsin and Gale gifs pls My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist!  Original character list - please request for these too!

Astarion

As we all know, it takes a long time for Astarion to be able to fall in love properly. His two centuries of having to seduce prey for Cazador have made it very hard to tell where the sultry facade ends, and the true him begins. He was meant to have seduced you for protection, to get you to fall for him and defend him should he ever need it. That was the plan, in any case. To him, it was fool-proof - he had never fallen in love with an object of his 'affection' before, so this should have been easy.

He was very wrong - though your do-good nature really irked him at first, it eventually made him want to be the same. Or, at least, similar. Part of him wished that he could have had someone like you earlier, to save him from the horrors he had seen under Cazador. Your patience with him, and your unwavering kindness got through to him, and he craved more - even if he thought he didn't deserve it.

He realised he loved you - truly, deeply loved you - when you and some of your group had infiltrated Moonrise Towers. You'd encountered a drow who was hell-bent on exploring the Sanguine arts, and had even started to press Astarion to bite her, despite his protests. You had stood up for him, told her to back off, and it was that moment that he had realised that his feelings for you were more than an infatuation, more than seeing you as something to use for protection, that it was love.

Gale

Gale had been fond of you since day 1 - though, being pulled out of a collapsing portal may do that to someone's view of another. Your views often aligned - though sometimes the means to achieve them did not - and that endeared you all the more to him. Even when he told you of the orb lodged deep within his chest, demanding he consume strands of weave, you stuck by him; and he hadn't entirely thought you would.

Being able to travel by your side and see all the good deeds you do is an honour for him - he'll often sit and think about how his life would have been had he not been snatched up by the mindflayers. He'd probably be in his tower in Waterdeep, with no one but Tara for company, and little to do besides wallow in his own self-pity. This was a much better alternative - even with the looming possibility of ceremorphosis.

His feelings first started when you said that you could stay with the group after he revealed the nature of the orb in his chest. It was only natural, after being shown such kindness. But the moment he really knew he loved you, was after Elminster had delivered Mystra's missive to Gale - about destroying the heart of the Absolute by detonating the orb in his chest. When you had gotten so uptight with the older wizard, telling him it wouldn't happen, that Gale wasn't going to die, he couldn't help but find you sweet. Though he had initially resigned himself to Mystra's demands, he couldn't deny it felt nice to have someone on his side.

Halsin

To begin with, Halsin admired you, but was not emotionally available enough to pursue any kind of romantic relationship with you - his mind was focused more on ridding Moonrise of the Shadow Curse. It was only really once that part of your journey had concluded that he could even start to think about that kind of thing.

You had proven yourself to be a person of your word, and that was something that Halsin always held a great amount of respect for. To find someone who followed through with the promises they made, let alone to be able to travel with them, was an absolute blessing - one that Halsin thanked the gods for every day. It was with your help the curse was dispelled, and the lands freed; that was no easy feat, and he couldn't have done it without you.

During the rather small celebration the party and a few others had post-curse, Halsin sat and thought to himself about all that you had done for him - all that you, hadn't quite sacrificed per se, but had given to help him. You'd taken many beatings to help him on his own quest, when it probably would have been more beneficial for you to pursue your own - which was arguably just as pressing, if not more so. Your courage endeared you to him, and it was as he sat there, amidst the celebratory drinking and serenading, that he realised he would devote himself to you as much as you had done to him; following you to Baldur's Gate, and facing whatever it was that was at the end of your journey.

[mimsynims]

Fool For Love

part 3

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part 1, part 2

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Author’s Note: First of all, thank you for the lovely comments! 🥰 Second, I’m writing this as I go, so while I’ll try to post every other day, it might come a point when I’m not done on time. Just so you know if it suddenly takes longer for the next part to be posted.

~~~

Astarion x reader/Tav

Tags: (mild?) angst, pining, pining while fucking, jealousy, eventual happy ending

Summary: You thought you knew what you were doing when you let Astarion into your bed. He doesn’t have feelings for you, and vice versa. Only… now you do. And you’re not handling it very well.

~~~

It’s almost sundown when you and the others are back at the camp again. It’s been a good day, all in all. You were able to stock up on potions and scrolls, and Karlach sweet-talked her way into a good deal on a handaxe. Not that you were there to watch it happen — Halsin’s favour had you talking to both the new leader of the Druids, Francesca, and Rath, the latter engaging you in a longer conversation than originally planned. Not that you minded, Rath is a good conversationalist. And quite handsome.

Yes, you did notice, but you kept it polite, not at all in the mood for flirting. Not when your thoughts continuously drifted back to a certain vampire that declined tagging along at the last minute.

It’s embarrassing to admit, but your eyes roam Halsin’s tent when you search him out to relay the information you gathered today. It’s probably a coincidence that Astarion decided to remain, but you can’t help but look for signs of someone sharing Halsin’s bed.

If Halsin sees you snooping, he doesn’t confront you about it, and you feel silly when you leave him to find the others. Who he sleeps with is none of your business, and you tell yourself that this is enough. Either you get over yourself, or you let Astarion go.

Which is easier said than done.

“Hey Karlach, let me see that axe of yours.” The rest of your party is gathered around the fire, preparing tonight’s meal. “From what I hear, I should bring you every time I need to haggle down the price for something.”

“Look at this beauty!” Karlach happily shows you her new weapon. “I’m going to polish it tomorrow, really bring out the shine it deserves.”

“How come you weren’t there, Tav?” Astarion sounds nonchalant, like he couldn’t care less but decides to ask anyway.

“I believe Tav had more important things to do.” Trust Lae’zel to come to your rescue.

“Halsin wanted some updates from the Grove,” you add.

“Mhmm, but surely that’s not the only reason why you talked for so long with Rath, Tav?” Shadowheart teases. “It seemed like you two really hit it off.”

“Yeah, he’s cute, Tav. Go for it!”

You want to look at Astarion, but you force yourself to turn your attention to Karlach instead, making sure to sound as casual as possible. “He’s nice, but…” You already have someone. “Perhaps you should go for him, Karlach, if you find him cute?”

“Nah, I have my eyes on someone else.”

It’s adorable, the way she lights up, and you wish you could hug her. “Hmmm, might this be a blacksmith we all know?”

“Tav!”

“This is secret to none, Karlach,” Lae’zel says. “Even a blind fool couldn’t help but notice the way you swooned when he helped you in the Grove.”

“I didn’t swoon!”

“There was definitely some swooning happening,” Shadowheart chimes in. “We all saw it.”

“Aaaanyway…! This was about Tav, not me.”

Dammit. You should’ve left for your tent when you had the chance. “No, no, I think we should talk more about you and Dammon.”

“Come on, Tav.”

“Yes, Tav, tell us all about your conversation with Rath.”

For a moment you somehow forgot that Astarion is there, too. “There’s nothing to tell. He’s just nice and easy to talk to.”

“Hmm, you’re not very convincing, Tav.”

With a groan, you turn to the wizard. “Not you too, Gale.” For someone so hung up on his ex, he sure looks jealous over the fact that you might be interested in someone else. “I know you all probably only mean well, but if you don’t drop this right now…”

You expect either Astarion or Lae’zel to make some kind of comment, but none of your companions say a peep. There’s an awkward silence for a few tension-filled moments and you wonder if you sounded too harsh. They only want your best, after all.

Thankfully, Shadowheart steps in, clearing her throat. “I think our food is ready.”

Once you sit down to eat, you watch them all as they talk and laugh. It feels like usual again, and you’re reminded how lucky you are to have come across such amazing people in this extraordinary situation life put you in.

Your gaze rests a little bit longer on your lover. He’s always beautiful, but it’s entrancing the way the flickering flames seem to caress his cheekbones, the arch of his nose. His smile. He’s laughing at something Lae’zel just said, and going by the look on her face, it wasn’t meant to be funny.

It’s quite the motley crew you’re leading — and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

You freeze when you suddenly find yourself locking eyes with Astarion. He isn’t supposed to catch you staring, and you quickly look away even though you know it’s too late. You wait a few minutes, and when you glance in his direction again, he’s talking to Gale.

Why must it be so difficult? Are you making it more difficult than it needs to be? You want to be with him and only him, so why not just ask it of him? If he says no, you’ll at least know instead of always wondering. And if he says yes, maybe he’ll grow to love you back.

Once again, you wish you had someone to talk to — and after today you think you can confide in Karlach — but it feels good to have come to a decision. Hopefully you can get him alone after dinner, because you would prefer to have it done before the stargazing Gale has planned.

You allow yourself to imagine the two of you lying next to each other in the grass, holding hands, smiling. Or his arm around you, holding you near.

You refuse to think about the other option, even though it’s the far more likely outcome.

For now, you’re going to pretend that everything’s going to be alright.

[quillscales]

They had defeated the elder brain, put a stop to the dead three's plans, and…won.

It had all gone by so fast.

Gale barely remembered getting back to the Elfsong Tavern and what had happened between the end of the battle and now. It felt like he was simply going through the motions, and it seemed to be that way for everyone else as well. No one said much; it felt…strange. Were they all really going to part ways after having been together for what felt like so long?

Well… Yes.

Astarion had come back; he had been subdued and on edge since returning. Gale couldn't blame him. For most of them, losing the tadpole was a blessing, but for him…

Gale's eyes lingered on Astarion before he began to pack his things. So much was scattered around their room at the Elfsong. Most were already downstairs, drinking and eating, using the last of their moments together just to enjoy the company. He could hear the sounds of their laughter through the floorboard, the lilting of music, and the stomping of feet. He would soon join them.

For now, it was just him and Astarion in the room.

Gale picked up a staff, his brow furrowing as he inspected it. He didn't remember when they got this one. The journey back to Waterdeep would be long enough; he didn't want to carry extra things he didn't need.

What a concept—not needing extra magic items. Gale smiled to himself and pressed his hand to the orb nestled in his chest, dormant and harmless now.

Gale's hand hesitated, holding the staff mid-air before letting it fall into the pile of discarded items. "I can scarcely believe it's over," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. Gale glanced towards Astarion, noting how his fingers paused, almost trembling, over a tarnished silver ring before he resumed his sorting. All of the curtains were shut, heavy enough to block out the setting sun.

Astarion didn't answer. Gale looked away and went back to sorting through his things. Robes, camp clothing, underwear, there was so much to go through.

"I just mean… Well…" Gale’s voice trailed off, then he gathered himself again, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I never truly believed I'd see the end of this—if there ever was one to see. Not that I'm lamenting survival, of course!" His chuckle was tinged with nervous energy as he fumbled with a threadbare garment, inspecting it. "And everyone else is well, too. It's a bit of a miracle."

The quiet clinking of metal was all Gale got in response.

Gale started folding the shirt, deciding to keep it. "We all even know where we're going now." His voice was soft. A deep-seated fear gnawed at him as he thought of his tower, now stripped of its wonders—a price paid for his past condition. It was more than the absence of magical artifacts; it was the isolation that echoed through its empty halls, a reminder of a year spent alone, a year that might foretell his future.

The fear of loneliness loomed large in his mind, not just a quiet whisper but a deafening silence he anticipated with dread. Once they parted ways, would their paths ever cross again?

"Wyll will be going with Karlach to Avernus," Gale mused. He was happy for her. She deserved not to go through it alone and to live. "Lae'zel will be traversing the Astral Sea with Shadowheart," Gale knew it would be dangerous, but they would be together. "Halsin is going back to Reithwin to rebuild. I heard Zevlor and a few others plan to join him." He hummed a little; many were displaced, but with two strong leaders, Gale was sure the town would be up and running soon enough.

He turned to look at Astarion. "And you'll be going to the Underdark with the other spawn. And I'll…" Gale trailed off. He would go to Waterdeep. Of course, that would be where he would go.

But… Perhaps there was another option? It felt wrong to leave Astarion to handle all the spawn on his own.

"Perhaps I'll join you in the Underdark? I'm sure the spawn could use-"

"Absolutely not!" Astarion snapped, twisting his whole body to face Gale. His eyes were wild, and his lips were pulled back into a snarl.

Gale hadn't expected such a reaction. He twisted the fabric in his hand, blinking slowly at Astarion. He swallowed the hurt, trying to mask his feelings about such a strong refusal. Astarion was allowed to say no—he always was. Gale would never, ever question it.

"Ah, my apologies." He looked away, his shoulders sagging. "That was terribly presumptuous of me."

Astarion sighed, his hand on his hip. "Yes, well… It's fine. Just don't do it again."

Gale nodded slowly, "Of course," he murmured, tossing the undershirt onto the bed as he stepped closer to Astarion. He went to reach out but stopped himself. "I truly am sorry. Your friendship means a lot to me, Astarion and the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable."

Astarion's eyes softened just a touch. "I know," He whispered.

"Perhaps…" Gale hesitated. He didn't want to set Astarion off again. If his presence was so unwanted… No. That was an unfair way to think. "Perhaps I can visit sometime?" He asked with a lilt of hope in his tone.

Astarion waved his hand and clicked his tongue. "I don't see why you'd want to."

That was it, then. Gale nodded again, his throat far too tight for him to say anything more. A firm reject and then a more gentle brush off, but it was clear that Astarion had no desire to see him after they'd parted.

A shame. Gale had thought…

It didn't matter what he thought.

[nika-vincent]

Some of our reflections on the development of Halsin's personality in Bg3. Long post warning.

I can say that this post is something like a continuation of my previous one, which was devoted mainly to romance with Halsin. This time I gathered some more thoughts from my recent discussions with the guys who love this wonderful character, but this time the main topic will be the development of Halsin's personality in the game. Some things about romance will also be mentioned here a little, the moments we found in the game files, and a few more facts from the datamine. So if you haven't completed the game and don't want to get spoilers, then I suggest skipping this article for now. We will be very happy if this review can also help Larian to see some points that could be supplemented or repaired with patches and also look at how the players perceive our beloved bear and what they would like to see with him in the future.

I would like to start by saying that if we compare Minthara and Halsin in terms of the degree of personality development throughout the game, Minthara is prescribed better and even has her own different ways: to change herself for the better or to remain a bad girl. And I'm not gonna say that she doesn't deserve this because most players choose the path of good and there is no point in investing in the development of her character. Not at all. On the contrary, it shows that it is important for developers to take into account every detail in the game, and if players want to play the game differently for a change, they will discover a lot of new things and say: "Oh, dude! Minthara turns out to be not as bad as she seemed at first glance!". And this is really a wonderful move by Larian, which doesn't allow players to get bored and makes them look at situations and the characters themselves differently. (And by the way, if some character is in the minority according to the preferences of the players, this does not mean that it deserves to receive poor development.)

As for Halsin in this case, at the moment not only his romantic content is missing, but also his very development as a character and a full-fledged companion. This can be explained by the fact that he was probably recently added as a companion, and there simply wasn't time for him to prescribe more things that would reveal his character and potential to the fullest. Considering Sven Winke's recent post on Twitter, where he announced that Larian will again involve voice actors to record new content, there is a chance that these flaws will be fixed in patches and Halsin will get more interactive scenes than those he has now. (As far as I know, Minthara is also suffers from a lack of romantic content, as does Halsin, so I suggest waiting for now and following the official news from Larian …)

It's sad to see that new players who don't experience early access called Halsin a rather boring companion compared to others. However, players from early access spoke about him much higher and more positively, otherwise he wouldn't have become one of the popular characters of the community. So, why did this happen? I can explain this by saying that at that time Halsin was just something like an episodic character that we just had to rescue from the goblin camp and he would tell us everything he knows about our parasite and where we should go for further answers then. (And for an episodic character, that would be enough.) After that, we witness how he scolds Kagha because of the rite of thorns. And I think a particularly strong point was that in the case of Arabella's death, Halsin says in raised tones: "As for the Idol? It's nothing compared to life! A mere object, next to one nature's creations! You showed no pity, no remorse. I cannot absolve you!" I've seen people write admiring comments like: "Until that moment, I thought I couldn't love him even more!". The way he expresses his thoughts, shows concern, compassion, or regret and disappointment mixed with anger (because of the death of a little girl that Kagha allowed) - all this showed us the traits of Halsin's character and caused emotions among the players. Someone thought he was too soft, and someone admired his kindness. And that's how it should work, so that the character evokes different or even contradictory emotions in people, anything but boredom or the feeling that something is missing. This is what makes the character interesting, we want to learn more about him, see how he will behave in other situations and especially how he will react to the Baldur Gate City itself. And I can also note that we were particularly interested in his story with Ketheric Thorm, which he tells us about after the Tiefling party, as well as what he feels guilty about and what unfinished business he mentioned.

Unfortunately, much of what concerned Halsin's personal growth in the release version of the game remained not fully disclosed and seemed unfinished, especially in act 3. His quest during act 2 was challenging from a gameplay point of view, but from a story one it was quite touching and helped us learn a little more about Halsin's past and that the spirit of the land named Thaniel was his only childhood friend. We also learned a little about his parents, as well as the reason why he became the archdruid.

But the story of the shadow curse still remained as if unsaid, and also we didn't see any of his interactions with Ketheriс Thorm, which I think deserved to be realized, and were not limited to Halsin's stories only about Ketheric if we ask him. An interesting fact is that for a long time there were hints in the datamine that Ketheric's daughter Isobel died because of Halsin (correct me if I made a mistake somewhere, please). And I remember, I saw there that Isobel was killed by the spear 'Sorrow', the same spear that we can get in the secret vault in the emerald grove. Not to mention that in Halsin's room we can even find his diaries, in which Isobel was mentioned several times. This would have added a lot of intrigue and special opportunities for Halsin's interactions in the plot of Act 2 itself, but for some reason it remained behind the scenes and even if we ask Isobel about how she died, she cannot remember her killer. Although there are some special dialogues between Halsin and Isobel in the game files themselves at the moment, but there are none of them during the gameplay. I dunno why it was necessary to cut or change these things, and it is not for me to decide what to do here after all. But in my humble opinion, it would have added fire to Halsin's plot in act 2. I would regard this as a fact that even such a good and kind character as Halsin can make mistakes, has his own shortcomings and even dark sides. Therefore, before the release of the game, I had high expectations that Halsin would play a much bigger plot role in Act 2 because of these intrigues between him, Ketheric and Isobel than what we have in the game at the moment. The feeling of the whole story being left unsaid is still present in Act 2, but who knows, maybe it can be improved in patches?

When Halsin became our full-fledged companion in the game, we got new options for the dialogues, but very few of his interactions in the future. It's as if the development of his personality in the second act ended along with his quest. Remember what wonderful scenes with companions in Act 1 we watched over and over again when we stayed overnight in the camp. It helped us to get to know them better, to love someone or hate someone. Halsin definitely should not be deprived of this, we still want to get to know him so that later we can draw conclusions about him in Act 3 and help him find his own path, as it was with the other companions. We got to know our companions during acts 1 and 2 to see the end result of what we experienced together in act 3.

What confuses me is that the developers seem to have paid more attention to his sexuality than the development of his personality instead (not to mention that scandalous story of his sexual slavery to drows in his past, and he only tells us about it after we sleep with the drow twins in a brothel in his company). This looks especially sad for romance, because it looks like Tav fell in love with Halsin more for his sexy muscular body, and not for what kind of person he is. After all, even in real life, we fall in love with someone not for having a fine big booty, but for how a person presents themself to the world and how they treats us. I want to add here one quote that I just remembered: 'Personality is much more important, because the external beauty of a person is taken away by old age, but the beauty of the soul will remain forever.'

In act 3, at the moment, Halsin reveals much less, but we can still see some hints. After he appoints a successor to the Emerald grove in his place, and after we help heal the lands from the shadow curse, Halsin apparently has a conflict with himself about finding a new goal. He notes that he does not like the city of Baldur's Gate, he is saddened by the fate of orphans here, he would also like people to see a friend in nature. And there are also curious moments in his reasoning about shadow druids and their methods. But all this remains so far only at the level of discussions and comments that pop up sometimes. And we can only find out at the very end that he decided to find a new goal in helping people and orphans from the city in Thaniel's world. And you know, it's a really great idea, but I have this feeling again that in act 3 we missed a lot before he came to find this goal in his ending. The idea of his personal path still remained unfinished to the end. I also heard that he was supposed to have some kind of quest with a druid circle in the city, well, let's see if we'll have a chance to see it in patches.

Сomparing Halsin with the rest of the party, he still looks pretty unfinished in terms of development by the end of the game. Because each companion has their own personal options for the path of development, which we are able to influence, and we can notice the difference in the change in the character of a certain companion comparing with what they were in act 1 and what they became by the end of act 3. We can see what Shadowheart can be like if she rejects Shar, or what she will be like in the future if she becomes a dark justiciar. Astarion can remain as a spawn, but at the same time preserving himself as a person and not turn into the likeness of Cazador, whom he hated so much. Or we can help him become a Vampire Lord and the power will intoxicate him so much that he will even begin to dream of taking the city itself in the end. Even Minthara, the companion opposite to Halsin, also has her own personal path of development. But with Halsin himself, unfortunately, this is happening pretty weakly at the moment...

We have been discussing a lot lately what would help for the development of Halsin's personality, so that he could be on a par with the rest of the companions. And I'll start with an excellent thought from my dear friend @merrinla, which would give an excellent opportunity for the development of his personal path, which at the moment in the game looks somewhat unfinished (but I still believe in the power of patches, official writers and the love of fans!❤).

Considering that his background is labeled 'outlander', this makes him a person who grew up in a wild environment, wandering a lot, living in harmony with nature, free as the wind. And even his best friend is the spirit of the land, not from the ordinary people. In his youth, he lived this life, unencumbered by responsibilities, exactly before the crisis moment happened, which was a shadow curse that abruptly changed his usual life. And for 100 years, his goal was to heal the lands from this curse. Plus, his duties as an archdruid piled up here and he didn't have time for his own desires at all. "I was forgetting who I was," as he once told us. After the events in Act 2, he does not seem to be eager to return to the emerald grove, but keeps in touch with Francesca to find out news from there. He speaks quite critically about the city of Baldur's Gate, but he has a desire to help people here and make life in the city better. And I think it would be appropriate here to let Tav tell him something like: 'You know, Halsin, it's not for nothing that people say that everything can be found in Baldur's Gate. Maybe you can find yourself here too?' and also try to change his views on the civilized world, because at the moment he is not familiar with this world too well, and we could help him adapt, convince him that the city itself is not so bad, and find himself here. Even the romance with him will look great with this option.

So it would be a suitable solution if Halsin also had his own development paths: 1 - if he trusts our advice and assistance in adapting to the city, which will allow him to become more civilized. 2 - we agree that he is right in his critical views on the city and civilization, and ultimately he decides to remain an outlander.

I think that even his ending with the orphans could also look different depending on the choice of his personal path, as well as in the case of the romance with him. This is a really great idea, and thank you @merrinla so much for sharing it with me!🙏❤

I would also like to give my comment about Halsin's role in our party. Considering that we have often witnessed conflicts between our companions, in Halsin I see something like scales holding the balance. Someone like the 'father' of our party, an adult wise mentor with whom we could consult about our experiences and ask for his advice. And I would also be very happy to see how he will try to calm our companions in case of any conflict.😂 His wisdom and mentoring experience just have to play a role in our party. If we go on a romance path with him, I would really like him to let us know that he will always listen to us at any moment and support us. Maybe we could even unobtrusively take his hand in return for a while to show how much it means to us. It would also be nice if Thaniel could communicate more with Halsin in the camp, and, in the case of romance, in a dialogue with us, he would notice that Halsin cares about us. These cute moments and his modesty suit Halsin much more than excessive sexual innuendos.

I dunno if Larian will do something about the fact that in the game files Halsin should have received more interactions with Isobel. But I think it would be great and intriguing. And interactions with Ketheric would also be perfect here (Girls, don't start a fight until I find my popcorn😅). And it also seemed strange to me that Halsin had no reaction to Zevlor's betrayal. Maybe it's a bug or just another flaw, who knows. But it would also be good to get this scene, even if he was at our party at the time of the showdown with Zevlor. Maybe it would be nice to organize some kind of his reaction to Nightsong, too, given that Halsin learned about her from Aradin, but he thought she was an artifact, not a living angel. Some interactions with our pets in the camp, I think they should be for Halsin too. (Let him stroke Scratch's belly, haha) And also… the arm wrestling scene of Minsc and Halsin when? Just imagine how funny it might look, 'cause even the dialogue with Minsc about it was hilarious.😁

That's all for today! Thank you guys for reading this review to the end, and also join us in discussions in the feedback about Halsin of the official Larian's discord club! I wish great success to Larian and I thank them for creating this wonderful game for us, which unites people and allows us to discuss many things. We love you and hope that you will also succeed in your future projects, and I also wish you good luck and inspiration in working on new content for BG3!❤🙏

[whaledenwtf]

Hey, can I request a drow!Tav who's actually very kind, has strong sense of justice and tries to help people out when she can with Astarion? It seems a bit tricky combination, but I really love your writing. 💛

I love elf-type races so the idea of a soft-spoken sweet drow is actually very interesting and I'm totally interested in exploring! Since you wrote she I'm assuming you wanted AFAB!Tav so I will be writing with she/her pronouns. Warning that there is a minor Non Consensual/ Dubious Consensual moment in the fic. I will be marking it with two stars ** so you are aware of when it ends and when it begins.

REQUEST: HERE BALDUR'S GATE 3 MASTERLIST: HERE

Request: Drow!Tav/Drow!Reader x Astarion - As Sweet As Can Be

WORD COUNT: 1795

Warnings: ANGST (Lots of it) Fluff, Some Smut (NonCon/DubCon), AFAB!Reader, SPOILERS!!!! Speak of Astarion's Lore (Including and not limited to S/A and lack of choices) and Act 1, Love and Support for my Angel Astarion 💖

As always, the goal is to keep the characters as close to their in-game personalities as possible.

People always tell you "it's so easy to just be nice". What a load of bullshit. They never could understand how difficult it was to go against your very nature at every turn. You were raised in the depths of the Underdark, fighting your way out to feel the rays of the sun on your amethyst-toned skin.

That may be why you sympathize with Astarion. You understood what it felt like to be in constant darkness because of your nature. Fighting tooth and nail for freedom, without being someone's puppet. When he tried biting you, you accepted him whole-heartedly. When he asked to drink from you, you accepted him whole-heartedly.

"I still cannot comprehend why you are so kind. They do not deserve your pity." He told you once, at the beginning of your adventure. You ponder his words, and your response.

"All it takes is one kind soul to change a person's future." You had responded. He also pondered your words late at night. He questions what one kind person would have done to change his life.

You told yourself you found a kindred spirit in Astarion, but he wonders if he too had found a kindred spirit in you.

You had saved Arabella from Kagha's viper. Despite many of your companions approving of your actions, you saw Astarion wasn't too pleased with time being wasted on a child.

"We're not getting the information we need. Should we not focus on the worms wriggling in our skulls?" Astarion said to you as you leave the inner sanctums of the Emerald Grove. You could see other companions shoot your spoilsport vampire some sour looks. You put a hand on his shoulder.

"The worms in our skulls are not going to disappear. We have time to focus on them."

"Exactly. They are not going to disappear. You may be content with turning into a mindflayer, but I have my good looks to keep!" He says loudly, earning more disapproving looks from your companions. You sigh.

"You may question my actions, but I will not let an innocent child die at the hands of a treacherous viper. We got our information, and we will find the Arch Druid Halsin. After all, he may have the answers we seek." This seems to appease him, slightly.

"Plus, you get to kill goblins." He grins at those words.

"Now you are speaking my language." You grin at him, patting his shoulder gently. You turn to your other companions.

"We will tread forward and save Halsin, then go to this Creche. I understand that these are much more stops than intended, however we must gain as much information as possible so we could get a full understanding of what is happening and how to prevent it from getting worse." Gale walks up to you and puts a hand on your shoulder.

"I will follow your lead, wherever it leads us." You smile at the human, nodding at everyone else.

Astarion can't help but scoff at Gale's actions.

It was late at night now, and everyone else was asleep. You notice a particularly antsy vampire pacing around quietly, deep in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" You ask him when you walk up to him. He jumps, shocked.

"Gods! You can't scare a vampire like that... I'll bite." He ends with a seductive lilt in his tone. He smirks at you as you blush, turning away.

"I am just... thinking." He answers your previous question, frowning. You see his defeated stance, and sigh.

"We're going for a walk." You decide, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from camp, nodding at Halsin as you pass. He lets you drag him until you're in the thicket of the forest, the light of the camp a dot in the distance.

"Why are we walking? Don't we do that enough?" Astarion complains to you, whining loudly. Once you have distance from the camp, you let go of his hand and continue walking.

"I think you need to clear your head." You tell him, humming a soft tune.

"The only thing I need to clear my head of is this tadpole, darling." He says quietly, following you. You find a small clearing near a river, the treeline becoming sparser and allowing the moon's light to bathe you both. You sit near the shoreline, the water lazily moving as if it was also taking reprieve. He grumbles about his clothes getting dirty as he sits next to you.

"I understand how difficult it is for you, Astarion-"

"Nothing is difficult for me. I'm perfect." He says confidently, though you can tell it is forced.

"Must have slipped my mind." You say simply. He continues his act, boasting of his greatness.

"I am wonderfully stealthy, and beautiful." You nod, smiling at him. "I can speak my way out of anything, including Gale's dreadfully boring speeches-" You giggle at his words. He smiles at you, turning to look at you.

"The world is for the taking, darling. And I plan to take it." He says with certainty.

"Are you done your speech?" You tease him, turning to look forward and watch the stars. He gapes next to you, galled at your audacity. He splutters, unable to form a sentence in shock. You laugh loudly, the sound melodic.

"I want to speak about your troubles." He turns away from you now, no longer analyzing your profile.

"All this talk is wasted on me." He whispers, frowning. You turn to look at him again, seeing his scarlet eyes focusing on the rocks below your feet.

"Nothing is wasted on you." You answer simply. His gaze snaps to you. For the first time, you can clearly read his emotions through his eyes. There is a sadness, all encompassing.

"You think I do not understand your plight?-" You look into eachother's eyes, leaning closer. "I was once Lolth's puppet, like most Drow." You turn to look at the sky now, the moon's beams illuminating your face. If Astarion did not know better, he'd think you were a fae, magical and powerful. Beautiful.

"Lolth is a chaotic goddess, blood-thirsty and uncaring. Many of my years in the Underdark were filled with loss, anger, bloodshed... betrayal. I trusted no one. I still find it difficult to trust." You say quietly. He stays silent, allowing you to continue your story. "I began to rebel. I was punished, severely. I knew at that moment I needed to go on the surface. Those years were filled with darkness... the first moment I felt the sun's rays on my skin- I cried. A century of darkness and pain was behind me. I began to follow Eilistraee, and found my path. This anger was a weapon, and I wielded it poorly. Innocent people do not deserve that. I decided to be the good I desperately needed in the Underdark." You ended, tears in your eyes. You turn to look back at him and he was closer, only a couple inches away from you. His eyes flicker to your lips before looking back up at you. He surges forward, kissing you passionately. In shock, you stay still, though your lips move against his.

**NonCon/DubCon Content Warning**

He climbs on top of you, hand going up your night clothes. You pull away when his hand grazes your under boob.

"Astarion-" He kisses your neck, lips kissing the mark he made two nights prior, when he drank from you.

"Astarion, please." He misunderstands you once more, his hand going up to touch your breast, groping it lightly. Your hands go on his chest and push him away. He falls backwards, giving you both some very needed distance. He looks broken, his gaze void.

**NonCon/DubCon Content Warning**

"This isn't right." You tell him, biting your lip. He frowns, turning away.

"I've never had someone turn me away..." He says quietly, looking down. Your heart breaks for him.

"Is this what Cazador asked of you?" You whisper, biting the inside of your cheek. He doesn't answer, but his body language is enough.

"You do not need to put up an act for me, Astarion. You are worthy and enough as you are. I do not need you for your body." You see his eyes get misty, but the tears never fall. He doesn't answer, staying silent.

"Come here, please." You tell him, lying down and spreading your arms. His gaze leaves the ground and he looks at you, before nudging himself closer slowly. He lies next to you, still not touching you.

"May I hold your hand?" You ask him softly. You turn to look at his profile, but he does not meet your gaze. He nods. You take his cold hand in yours, linking your fingers.

"I'm sorry." He whispers. You shake your head.

"I do not want you to apologize to me." You tell him. He turns to you then.

"I... I almost..." He bites his lip, unable to finish his sentence.

"Listen to me, please-" You grip his hand tighter, thumb caressing the alabaster skin.

"You are hurting. You do not deserve this. You are surrounded by darkness. Your reaction... you were conditioned to act in such a way. Did you mean what you did?" He shakes his head, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Then I will not hold it against you." He turns over, laying on his side to look at you. You turn as well, both facing one another and on your sides.

"You're too good for me." He whispers again.

"You're much more than what Cazador has made you believe you are. You aren't just a puppet. I am proof of that." You tell him. His other hand goes up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Let us just... lay here for awhile. Look at the stars. Enjoy the freedom we found." You right yourself, laying on your back. He mirrors you, laying on his back.

"This freedom will not last... not for me." He says after a long period of silence.

"I will make sure it will." He turns to look at you. You turn to him, gazing at his beautiful features.

"200 years of pure shit. I lost all hope in anything." He says to you. You squeeze his hand, fingers still linked.

"I will kill Cazador." You say simply. He laughs loudly, his whole body shaking at the intensity.

"You can certainly try, darling." You smile at him.

"We can do it, together. You do not have to carry your burdens on your own, Astarion." He nudges closer to you, his head leaning on your shoulder.

"I will think about it." That was enough for you. You hum in acceptance, before leaning your cheek against the crown of his head and enjoying the darkness together.

Suddenly, the world didn't feel so alone.

Exploring Astarion's lore and storyline always hurts me, and I try to use it to better fulfill what I wish for him, which is growth and happiness. The scene I wrote which was noncon/dubcon is something I particularly found important to write about because I personally feel like Astarion would use sex as a coping mechanism, and is not used to people pushing him away. Abuse is a cycle, and throughout the game we see Astarion stuck in that cycle, and later on continue it (despite him thinking otherwise).

I think many people overlook the psychological layers to a character like Astarion. To write something that I feel is close to the character, I try to explore every aspect of their past and personality, especially the dark parts. I hope I was able to do so.

[imperator-titus]

Ghost from the Past [Part 10]

I'm tired and entering the last week of my current grad classes so... nothing interesting to comment on. Please enjoy! Feel free to comment, rb, etc!

(Prev)[Part 9] (Next)[Part 11] [Master Post]

[Have an owlbear gif because you deserve him]

In the morning, Lae’zel, Karlach, Wyll, and Shadowheart headed out to do some scouting and search for any signs of the spirit Thaniel. Halsin went to Last Light Inn to check on Art Cullagh after assuring all the animals that he was coming back. 

Astarion and Gale spent all of ten minutes pretending to read before starting a kissing contest. They rolled back and forth, trying to get leverage on the other, unpinning arms to tear at the other's clothes. 

Gale had his hand up Astarion’s shirt when Astarion stopped him, one hand over Gale’s mouth and the other indicating that the wizard be silent. With a serious look on his face, he concentrated on the sound he swore he just heard.

Perhaps a few feet away from Gale’s tent, some stones crunched under someone’s foot as they shifted their weight. Then they walked away.

Astarion renewed their activities by playfully biting Gale’s lip and taking this moment of surprise to roll on top of him. He had Gale’s trousers undone when a new sound came from outside. It was Bonnet whining and Pellet, the owlbear cub, chirping erratically.

Gale practically threw Astarion off of him so he could quickly lace up his pants and see what was happening. After the initial shock, and arousal, of Gale tossing him wore off, Astarion followed.

“What are you doing?!” Gale cried angrily, rushing towards the campfire where the two animals were hopping up and down in distress.

Kneeling in the remains of their fire was Eletha, shuddering as she wept. Gale grabbed her from behind and as he pulled her away, she fought him. Kicking and clawing, she tried to get back to the scattered charcoal still glowing with heat.

“I’m sorry!” Eletha pleaded through her tears in Elvish. She stopped fighting Gale and instead clung to his arms wrapped around her chest and torso. “I’m sorry, I'm sorry.”

“Hush, now,” Gale commanded her, placing one hand on her head and stroking back her hair. “Astarion, go find something to mend her burns.”

Astarion stared on in disbelief until Gale snapped at him. “Listen for once!”

Bonnet was carrying over one of Eletha’s many bags as Astarion dug around in their supplies. Right, she’d have something for burns.

Why did Gale give him this task? He was closer to a cleric than Astarion was. When was the last time he had to clean a wound?

Because Gale knew better how to comfort. Stroking her hair, offering her kind words or distractions as she wept and gasped for air.

With Bonnet’s help, Astarion brought over a bottle of water, some rags, and her bag. He dumped out its contents and with keen intelligence, the bear found the items immediately. They were even labeled in her careful hand.

Eletha didn’t whimper or shift in pain as the potion caused her skin to bubble or when he wiped it away to reveal raw skin. All the while, she desperately muttered apologies. For hiding in her tent. For yelling at them. For things that had nothing to do with them. 

By the time Astarion was carefully covering her burns with a salve, she fell silent, save for a few sniffles or shuddering breaths.

“How about I make you something to eat, hm?” Gale asked her softly, finally able to extricate himself from her clutches. “A good meal makes everyone feel better.”

Pellet crawled into her lap as Bonnet laid her large head on an uninjured portion of her legs, making it impossible to move. Eletha wrapped the owlbear in a hug and buried her face in his feathers.

Astarion didn’t know what to do. He didn’t eat, so he didn’t know how to cook, and thus wasn’t about to offer Gale help. He didn’t know how to comfort and the animals seemed to be handling that front. 

A part of him felt that he needed comfort. It wasn’t exactly relaxing or pleasant to have his activities with Gale, the closest he’d come to sex since that night of the party, interrupted by his old lover and- gods, mother of his child- punishing herself in some insane way.

No wonder she got along with that Loviatar priest in the goblin stronghold.

What was he supposed to do?

Nothing. This wasn’t his problem. Eletha brought it upon herself. Who was he to tell her to stop? Why did he have to comfort her when she’d been keeping this secret from him this whole time?

Well, he had his own secrets. And clearly this one had been eating her from the inside until she cracked. And she had pledged to help him with his problems, even when she felt that he’d transgressed against her.

Nope. He’d done his part. 

What was he going to do now, hunt down some elf nearly as old as himself, whose name he didn’t know, that he had no idea what he looked like? He was probably off in the Dales and they were headed for Baldur’s Gate.

Astarion returned to his tent. Grabbing the book he was currently reading, he hesitated at the sight of Eletha’s bag of holding.

He’d decided to keep the letter addressed to him, at Gale’s insistence that it was meant for him and now he knew its contents anyway.

Sitting on top of the bag was the faded letter with ‘E’Sum’ printed on the front in Eletha’s beautiful Elvish hand.

Part of him couldn’t make the decision to put it back in the bag and forget about it. It wasn’t for him.

But it was likely about him…

Eletha was still hiding her face in Pellet’s coat but Bonnet had apparently deemed her no longer a flight risk and was face-deep in the cast-offs from Gale’s preparations. Gale was humming a song to himself.

Astarion approached Eletha. She shifted her grip on Pellet as the owlbear shifted to regard him with those big innocent eyes. To think something so adorable would grow up to be a massive killing machine…

“It’s… okay,” he managed to say to her quietly, not wanting Gale to overhear. He had the feeling he was doing something wrong and the wizard would Bone Chill him out of spite. “I… know why you’re upset.”

Eletha sniffled and turned her head in his direction, but didn’t look at him. “I’m sorry.”

“I know. I… want to say I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s all quite sunk in yet…”

Was this comforting? Was this how this conversation was supposed to go? He hadn’t rehearsed it properly. There always came a point when she stabbed him to death or ran off only to be taken by the shadow curse.

Astarion felt the tadpole in his head wriggle. He didn’t really want to open himself up to whatever she was feeling. 

He did anyway.

He felt it intensely, those horrifying feelings that she transcribed to him. The dark pit made sense. He wanted to escape his own skin. Pieces were being taken out of him and he didn’t know how many more he could spare before he was used up, like a cake being sliced and served.

Gale was right. Astarion knew how she felt. To be controlled. To lose yourself. That hollow feeling. The rage against the things that hurt you. The fear of being hurt again.

The world became bright and green. A wave of calm washed over him, knocking off the darkness clinging to him. He was… happy. Safe.

Someone grabbed him from behind, but he wasn’t afraid. In fact, he laughed. 

Eletha laughed, he corrected. Her stomach fluttered in excitement as warm kisses were pressed to her neck.

Of course, it was Astarion, resplendent in his beauty, smiling and laughing with her. He made it look so easy… Because for this version of him, it was.

Astarion slipped something around Eletha’s neck. It was a pendant, much like the one he’d snatched from her in the Emerald Grove, but this one glowed a subtle blue.

“Because I’m thinking about you,” Astarion whispered in her ear, watching over her shoulder as she inspected the gift. “So you know that I’m always thinking about you.”

“You’re such a sap,” Eletha teased him, but he could feel the radiating warmth of joy and love spread throughout her body.

Astarion tried to hold on to that feeling as he came back into his own mind.

Eletha’s hand was on his, softly stroking it.

“Good to see you two getting along again,” Gale said, holding out a bowl to Eletha. Pellet vacated her lap so she could take it.

Eletha moved the food around with her fork. “I'm sorry for interrupting you.”

“Interrupting?”

“You smell like each other,” she explained dispassionately. Gale choked on some of his food.

----

When the others came back, they found Gale finishing up their supper, Astarion lounging about with a book and a goblet of wine, and Eletha going through her things in a very meticulous fashion.

“We had a fantastic day lazing about camp, thank you for asking,” Astarion remarked sarcastically as everyone stared at Eletha. 

“What… happened?” Shadowheart asked, hesitating as she put down her pack.

“Time and food heals most wounds,” Gale answered with a little smile, satisfied with how his latest soup came out.

“Lethi, darlin’, whatcha up to?” Karlach approached the arrangement of items taking up most of the free space in camp. “Lookin’ for something?”

“I took the journal, I told you already,” Gale called insistently over his shoulder.

Eletha stood up and inspected her things one more time. Then she walked over to Astarion, which caused everyone but Gale to hold their breath. The last time they saw the two interact, it had been explosive.

She held out a hand, palm up. 

“Hand it over.”

Astarion chuckled nervously. “You gave me that bag, but if you want it back…”

“Not the bag-” Eletha paused, clearly thinking, “but I’ll take that back too. I meant the platinum.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“It’s really low, stealing from an insane woman,” she told him with a sigh of disappointment.

Astarion huffed and closed his book with a defeated thump. “Fine. You caught me.”

“You’ve been carrying platinum around this whole time?” Wyll asked in disbelief.

“While we’ve been living off the coin we find in people’s pockets and scraping together every copper we can get from selling the junk we find?” Shadowheart added a little indignantly. Then she shook her head. “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t be complaining about that right now.”

“It’s-” Eletha stopped, a far away look coming into her eyes. After a moment, conscious thought returned. “Well. I always told myself it was for my son. But giving money to someone you abandoned at birth isn’t really a good look, is it?”

“Ah… probably not,” Karlach told her sympathetically, patting her friend on the shoulder. “It’s the thought that counts?”

“Not really.” 

Eletha counted the coins that Astarion reluctantly dumped in her hand. 

She looked up at him.

They stared each other down silently. 

He sighed and put one more platinum coin in her hand.

“Put it back,” she told him and a little smile bloomed on her lips as he huffed petulantly and put back the coin he’d palmed. “Thank you.”

“Glad to have you back,” Astarion retorted with a tone like a child sticking out their tongue.

“Now,” Eletha said brightly, addressing everyone, “tell me what I’ve missed.”

----

That night, after giving everyone personal apologies for inconveniencing and worrying them, Eletha brought a bottle of something to Gale’s tent.

“Is that… from Evermeet?” he asked in total disbelief, handling the masterfully crafted bottle with the utmost care.

“I know it’s not much-”

“Not much? I assure you, this is much.”

“Whatever, Gale, just take it,” Eletha told him angrily. The anger dissipated quickly, giving way to embarrassment. “Sorry, I just- I wanted to thank you.”

“Thanks isn’t necessary,” Gale reassured her, putting down the bottle next to the wine he’d just been drinking.

“It is. Mellia used to be there for me, when things got dark, but they’ve never been… that dark.”

“I’m glad I could help you, but I’m not sure that I did much. Especially not as much as Feywild wine.”

She waved his comment off. Smiling, she said, “I’m glad you and Astarion are getting along.”

“I didn’t know we were…” Gale chuckled a little, embarrassed.

“I’m not surprised in the least.”

“Am I that oblivious?”

Eletha shrugged, a smile on her lips. “A little. But Astarion has a way of… being obvious? But at the same time… not-so-obvious.”

“I understand what you mean.” Gale spun the bottle around slowly, looking it over again. “You appear clear-headed. Considering the circumstances.”

“Well, I finally found this thing,” she said, pulling a pendant out from under her shirt. “It makes the wearer calm.”

“A pity you couldn’t find it sooner.”

“I have a lot of stuff. And it’s been 50 or so years since I needed it, so…” Eletha shrugged as she put the pendant back under her shirt. “When I’m calm, the whole thing feels… silly?”

“It is a complex situation. Your… imprisonment was cause enough, in my opinion.”

“I’m sorry that you felt that. This… thing is hard to control.” 

“It helped me understand your pain.” Eletha laughed and Gale smiled a little, although uncertainly. “What is so funny?”

“I’ve put you all through the wringer, you and Astarion especially. And yet… I just keep thinking about what we’d be doing now if I didn’t fuck it all up.” Gale opened his mouth to argue, but she held up a hand to stop him. 

“I’ve been… insane. And when I’m not insane, I just self-sabotage. I was afraid of being happy, and the possibility slipped through my fingers. I’ve had to live with that feeling many times, it’s nothing new.”

“There is still a long road ahead.”

Eletha chuckled as she got up. “Oh, Bhin, you’re breaking an old lady’s heart.”

“Thank you… for the wine, I mean,” he told her, unsure of himself. She graced him with a warm smile before moving on.

Astarion was hiding in his tent. With the shadow curse all around them, there was no reason to go out at night. He had to find ways to entertain himself while he waited for everyone else to rest.

“Knock knock,” Eletha called from outside in a soft voice.

He didn’t really want to talk to her. But she wanted to talk to him and that was… good, right?

“Come in.” Astarion made space for her. As she settled in beside him, she pressed something into his hand. 

A platinum coin. 

His brows furrowed. “What is this for?”

“It’s rude to visit empty-handed,” she told him, amused. Eletha spied her bag of journals and letters. “I admire you. In a way.”

“Oh? That’s a new one. I mean, I’m used to being admired, but not in the way you mean.”

“Okay, maybe I don’t.” Eletha shot him an annoyed glare. Carefully, she picked up the old letter sitting out. “I feel guilty, because there’s a boy- a man- out there wondering where I went. Wondering why I don’t love him. Like how I always wondered why my parents didn’t love me.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Astarion told her, trying to be helpful. “Maybe he thinks we’re both dead!”

“For once, you’re right.”

Internally, Astarion sighed with relief.

“Don’t act surprised.”

“Other than that, I don’t feel guilty. If I had my way, this wouldn’t even be a problem. I don’t feel bad for leaving, he didn’t deserve to be saddled with me.”

“I’ve been saddled with you for almost two months and it’s enough to turn my hair white,” Astarion said with a roll of his eyes. She laughed.

“I admire that… you’re responsible for who knows how many people becoming midnight meals for Cazador and it’s okay because you had no choice,” Eletha said quite seriously, fingering the soft edge of her old letter. “I had no choice. So why must I feel guilty?”

“Maybe we should go to the Dales when this is all over, hunt down our families, and slaughter them all?” A devilish smirk tugged at her lips and Astarion laughed a little too maniacally. “I knew it. Bloodshed makes everything better.”

“So does fucking, if memory serves me right.”

“Yes, well, that too.”

“Sorry. Again.”

“Oh, it’s fine, darling. I have the sneaking suspicion that Gale isn’t quite aware that we’re playing this game. Even after I’ve had my tongue in his mouth and a hand down his pants.”

“That makes it fun.”

“We’re two peas in a pod,” Astarion said with a giddy little smile. “I can see why I liked you. I still do, mind you. Aside from all the tears and terrifying aggression.”

“That means a lot to me.” Eletha leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. If he had any decent amount of blood in him, he might have blushed. Holding up her bag of holding, she asked, “Mind if I take these back?”

“Go ahead, my dear, I’m afraid I’ve already read all the good bits.” He held up the platinum coin between his thumb and forefinger. “Besides, you’ve paid me more than generously for it.”

Through the space between his tent and the flap, Astarion watched as Eletha sat by the fire. 

Pipe clamped in her teeth, she would open a letter and read its contents. Then the fire would momentarily blaze as the piece of parchment was consumed by the heat.

Finally came the last one, old and faded. She regarded it, despite knowing its contents by heart.

It went up in smoke, just like the rest.

[daisyofwaterdeep]

Can we request for Astarion, Gale, Wyll, Halsin, Haarlep, Dammon, Rolan, and Zevlor? Can we request for reader who has suicidal thoughts? Can we request spanking, praise kink, bondage, shibari, voice kink, Dom/sub, overstimulation, body worship, and lingerie? Can anons request smut? Thanks!

Firstly, anons can absolutely request smut! Secondly, ooooh okay so you just so happened to list 8 characters and 9 kinks so I've decided to pair each character up with the particular kink I think would fit them, and how they would comfort you and reassure you!

Astarion Voice kink. When under the thumb of Cazador, Astarion often wished for kind words to be spoken to him-- even if they were shallow, even if they meant nothing. He was starved for many things. Freedom. Food. Love. Compassion. So when you are feeling low, Astarion can understand--his own mind has visited such places before.

He'll hold you close, his lips ghosting over your ear as he sofly talks. There's affirmations, of course, but also mindless chatting about anything and everything. He wants to fill your head with his voice, with his musings, with his love, with anything other than your dark thoughts. And if the feeling of his cool breath against your neck and his soothing hand on your hip makes you want to take a more physical approach to distraction...well, Astarion is more than happy to oblige.

Gale Spanking. Gale is no stranger to kink. Even if it's not his cup of tea he's willing to give everything a try, just for the experience. But spanking...well, he is indeed a fan. Giving or receiving, he loves the physicality of it. Spending so much time with Mystra made him largely forget the pleasures of the mortal flesh, so he relishes feelings that are distinctly human.

When Gale sees you retreating into yourself, he's quick to take you somewhere private and quiet--somewhere away from it all, somewhere that you can talk and cry and heal from your thoughts. He'll be there by your side the entire time, of course. And when you make love, Gale won't be able to keep his hands off of you--gripping, grabbing, spanking--he wants you too feel him, to think of nothing but him.

Wyll Praise kink. Wyll has his own barrel of perceived failures and inadequacies, and often has to combat his fair share of dark thoughts. Hearing thanks from the people he's saved helps curb them. And as a selfless man, Wyll is quick to return the favor--praise feels good and can be healing, he knows from experience, so he's never short with words of affirmation. The moment he sees you feeling low, he'll shower you with praise--he tends to do that anyways, but this time he'll gently hold your face as he says it, making sure you don't brush aside his words. He means every single thing he says to you, the warmth and sincerity in his voice undeniable. You're his treasure, his life, his happiness...The honeyed words won't let up, even as he fucks you, punctuating each slow thrust with a deep kiss and softly spoken declarations of love and praise. Halsin Overstimulation. Halsin is a man of indulgence. To indulge in life's pleasures, to bask in the bounties of nature, to not deny oneself things that bring happiness. He knows just how dark the shadows of the mind can get, and knows that the only cure for such a thing is to cast light into the darkness. To lavish with kindness, warmth--to indulge in life and all that it has to offer.

He wants to work you into a state of bliss--to replace your sad tears with ones of absolute pleasure. Your body is a temple, and he is a devout man, ready to prove your holiness with his hands, his mouth, his tongue, his cock. He aims to warm you, to cast you in a glow that swallows every darkness, and he'll do so again and again and again. You deserve everything under the sun, you deserve to feel every pleasure and experience every high, and Halsin will be sure that you do. Haarlep Bondage/shibari. Haarlep has become accustomed to having no say. It's what Raphael wants, so that's all that Haarlep has known. He is told what to do, and he does it. He's become so used to it that he's forgotten what it's like to have control. It's a part of him that's been so tamped down that the concept is almost entirely foreign to him.

So if you go to him to forget youself for a little while and you give him free rein to do what he wants, it takes him a moment. The fact that you're desperate to relinquish control makes Haarlep realize just how desperate he is to take control. He'll tie you up, carefully, slowly, tightly, and then tear you apart for hours on end. With his stamina and appetites, expect to forget your worries--and possibly your own name. Dammon Lingerie. With everything that's been happening, Dammon hasn't had a chance to unwind. Quite frankly, he hasn't had time to be himself. He often thinks that he's become something like his creations-- a tool to be used by those in need, and nothing more.

If you trust him enough to share your own dark thoughts, he will likely share his own. And this eventually leads to him hatching an idea-- to use his smithing skills for something 'frivolous'. To use them for something for him, and for you. He meticulously crafts you some leather lingerie, perfectly accentuating your body....and he made a complimetary set for himself. He wants you to know that you're more than you think you are--you're something precious, something to be admired and loved. And so is he. Rolan Dom/sub. Rolan is constantly trying to prove himself. He desperately wants control, power, and status. Why? Because he desperately wants security, safety, and assurance. Not just for himself, but for those that he loves. Playing with dom/sub dynamics helps him scratch that itch, without pesky things like loss or death or failure looming over his head.

When he finds out about your dark thoughts, Rolan's need to protect will kick into high gear. He'll hold you in front of a mirror, hands roaming over your naked body as he showers you with compliments. And then, he'll command you to compliment yourself. Each kind word will be rewarded, so you better be nice to Rolan's most precious asset.

Zevlor Body worship. Zevlor has been through...so much. The fall of Elturel, being banished from the city he once protected, taking in refugees, the threat of losing the Grove as a safe haven, the goblin attacks...this man needs a moment to fucking breathe-- a moment to think of nothing, to not worry, to just be. And when he finds out that you also need a fucking break, he absolutely drops what he's doing to give you both a much needed reprieve. A whole day of laying in bed, soft kisses, slow touches, handfeeding each other, laughing, and just relaxing. Sex will happen, of course, but not until he's kissed every inch of your body. And he's in no rush, so expect to be carressed and licked for hours before he finally takes you...and even then, expect for each slow grind inside to be paused for even more kisses and doting.

[autistichalsin]

Halsin's autism coding really jumps out in his camp confession scene

Both the romantic and platonic one. Starting with the romantic one:

He thinks asking about his past lovers is a sign of interest (I notice a lot of autistic folks like us tend to never get it "right"- when we guess that someone might be interested because of cues we were told were romantic, we get it wrong, whereas when someone is showing certain cues, we think it's just friendly!)

The way he feels the need to explain why he thinks you're interested in him before you accept or reject. This one isn't explicitly explained, of course, but it is very easy to read it as an autistic person afraid of being harshly rejected/told they're insane to think there was a connection, so he puts out an explanation first in the hopes of softening the blow if he turned out to be wrong.

Halsin completely, and adorably, misinterprets the player if they tell him "maybe your heart stirs easier than you think"; he doesn't understand that the player is partially slut-shaming him (which is rude af on the player's end, but he misses this because he's honestly un-slutshamable, so he would never be offended here) and partially asking for clarification- how can you have had many lovers yet your heart doesn't stir easily? Not understanding this, Halsin goes on to tell stories of his past exploits, which are hot and very welcome, but also very much not what the player as getting at.

If the player is an absolute asshole and mocks him by comparing him to a deep rothe, he is crushed, but stays calm, simply telling them that they could have just said no- he doesn't call the player a jerk like they deserved. Just feels very true to the 'tism experience.

This line alone could stand as proof, I think: "Nature gifted us our desires, and the means to act on them. But we muddied its beautiful simplicity with rules, social strictures... clothes." He hates social structures for their complexity, and prefers something simpler. The dislike of social structures, of their nebulous nature, is a core autistic experience.

If the player says they only helped because he's a useful ally, he once again misreads; he misses that the statement was a rejection, and responds earnestly that he sees them as much more than an ally.

For the new platonic path:

If the player tells him they just want him to carry heavy things for them, he responds differently based on his approval levels to them (I.E. based on how close they are and how kind he feels the player is); at low approval, he is deeply hurt by this, and sadly muses that "perhaps not all friendships are destined to be balanced and reciprocal." Yet... he still considers it a friendship, even though that is in practice no friendship at all. A lot of autistic folks have this experience of being friends with people who don't share the same level of affection, or even outright mistreat, us.

In fact, the same thing happens in another variation: if the player snarks about Halsin inviting himself along (a way of saying "get lost"), he laughs and warmly says that he guesses he did invite himself along, and that he will be "more tactful when trying to make friends in future." Declaring oneself friends with others is such a classic autistic experience, but even MORE so is declaring yourself friends with someone who only tolerates, or even actively dislikes, you. It's quite sad- but also very endearing, because I feel so SEEN in that moment.

[avocado-writing]

I love love love your bg3 writing so much. I'm so glad i found your blog.

if you're comfortable writing about marriage, could you write the companions (minus lae'zel) reactions to a githyanki Tav proposing? like, Tav has done research into material plane customs and what marriage entails and has decided they want that with their love.

thank you if you do!! ♡♡♡

Astarion

A little baffled when he sees you get down to one knee so sincerely, thinking you can’t possibly be about to propose. That’s not a thing githyanki do is it? Gods, he should have asked Lae’zel…

Eyes widen when you produce the ring. Dead heart skips.

Is utterly bowled over that this is happening. That anyone would think he was worth proposing to, especially wonderful you.

You start a spiel about why you think you’d be a spouse he should consider, usual githyanki directness, and he cuts you off - “you don’t need to convince me, my sweet. The answer is yes. It’s always yes.”

You slide a ring onto his finger and he watches the way it sparkles.

You must have saved up for ages. He never thought he’d be deserving of something like this, but is going to try and see himself through your eyes from now on.

Gale

As you drop to a knee, he’s sorting through every piece of information in his head that he knows about githyanki, because you can’t possibly be about to —

Just stares for a moment when you bring out a ring. He sees your brow furrow.

“you are displeased.” Him, quickly, “no, no! Far from it! I’m just… surprised.”

”why would you be surprised, Gale? You are the most treasured thing in my life, and I believe this is how people in Faerûn seal that bond.”

He’s reduced to speechlessness at your sincerity. All he can do is nod and put on the ring, allowing you to scoop him up in your arms and kiss him over and over ❤️

Karlach

The second you drop to a knee she says yes.

“Karlach I believe I am meant to ask the question first—” “sorry, I got overexcited! do it properly then.”

”… will you marry m—“ “YES”

She grabs you and pulls you into her embrace, holding you in a bridal carry and kissing you deeply.

“Would you like to see the ring?” “There’s a ring too?!”

She’s so happy, man. You’re certain you’ve never made a better decision in your life.

“I researched into what gem would be preferred in a ring, and measured your gloves to get the size correct.” “You did all this for me? 🥹” “Karlach, you are worth moving the stars for.”

She goes around the camp showing off her ring. She can’t stop smiling all day ❤️

Shadowheart

Raised eyebrows when you kneel.

“Hmm, I wasn’t aware that githyanki knew of marriage.” “I didn’t. I read up about it. But I suppose if you’re against it—“ “no no, I didnt say that…”

Smiles when you drop to a knee again, pretends to be coy in her answer, but she knows she’d never say anything but yes.

You lay there with her that evening as she discusses all of the intricacies of planning a wedding, her hand tangled in yours, going into great detail about what she wants. Her face hurts by the time she falls asleep because she’s been grinning all day.

Wyll

He is so utterly surprised when you propose — but not for any untoward reason.

“Wait right there!” his face is so excited when he runs back into his tent, and when he re-emerges he has a ring box in his hand too.

“oh… is it custom for us both to have a ring when proposing?” “No, my darling. It’s just fortuitous luck that I was going to propose to you, too.”

“I see. So is your answer yes, then?” “Of course my love. A thousand times.”

You smile widely, and the two of you exchange rings, before he reaches over and kisses you sweetly.

Halsin

Is happy, but also wants you to know you don’t have to do this. That proposal might be a custom of this plane but if you aren’t certain, it isn’t something you have to do.

“I want this, Halsin. I have done my research thoroughly. I can think of nothing more joyous than being married to you. I do not enter into the lightly, and I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

He smiles so widely it threatens to crack his face in two. Lifts you in his arms and gives you a passionate kiss, assuring you that he will make you happy for the rest of his days.

Can’t stop looking at the ring on his finger. He’s an old elf, but he’s never felt more treasured in his life.

Minthara

Smirks. She knew this was coming.

Doesn’t say much, but confirms “you made the right choice. Yes. I will marry you.”

She scrutinises the ring as you slide it on your finger, but seems content. She keeps glancing down to how it reflects the light.

Proves just how pleased she is later that night in bed 😏

[fainlin]

I never really wanted a Gortash romance, like yeah it'd be fun but there's far more things the game needs done to it than adding more content that would just end up being incomplete. And, I think that is what is upsetting me more than the loss of the Franc letters. Act three is still a mess, Wyll still has less content than literally every other companion even his quest in act three isn't even really his it's a Balduran lore dump. Halsin is still pointless past act two and feels like he's just there to bang, and Minthara still is a mess. There's still content from EA just sitting around, voice lines that make no sense, pieces of content that go no where and are entirely pointless and instead of addressing any of that, Larian seems more focused on changing little things and sanding down their own characters. They feel like they don't even have confidence in their own writing anymore, it's not EA so I don't see why these things are really necessary other than to try to please everyone and end up pleasing no one. Removing the lanceboard scene when the guy in question literally only has eyes for himself, to the point I wouldn't be shocked he has a mirror on his ceiling to watch himself get railed by himself. He has no interest in Mol in any way other than to pluck her soul because he's a devil. He's just gross like that. Then to make Lae'zel nicer, like sure I like the changes for approval I guess but certain changes end up feeling more like they're fan servicey and less about actually improving the game. I understand the outcry when people thought Larian had changed Gale for a moment because Larian keeps doing things exactly like that, albeit in small ways. All I really want is for Act three to have impact and not be as flat and pointless as it is, for the main two villains to actually be villains instead of feeling like cheap tiny lil mini bosses when Raphael gets to feel like a real boss and he's not even main content he's entirely optional. Losing the slithering wet malice thing isn't even that big of a deal to me what is though is the fact they're willing to completely give up character personality and not even address that they're making these changes in the patch notes. It feels like I have to go in and take stock of every letter and every book and every dialogue option before it inevitably gets changed because Larian has no spine when it comes to their characters and their writing. It just sucks, it doesn't feel like this is making way for any new grand content it doesn't feel like anything but sanitizing at this point. I don't even really understand what could come from making Gortash bland boring tyrant no.56093 because yeah anyone could write that, it makes him entirely less memorable and I hate that because Orin and Gortash really deserve so much more than that, they deserve to be as fleshed out as Ketheric thorm, but instead they're just fucking jokes. If that was Larian's goal well I think they succeeded. TLDR; Act three is just incredibly unpolished, and I don't see why kissing animations and changing small little flavor letters, and making characters nicer and this and that really solves any of the actual problems the game still has. Sure it's nice, but I'm tired of seeing this be what the game has ultimately devolved to. Really hope I'm wrong, hope there's big content on the horizon, maybe the upper city making a come back, but I'm not gonna hold my breath.

Edit: And to be real here, I still like Gortash, I'd still love a romance if one ever happened. It's just I'd really like it to be thought out and not just well thrown together and spit out really fast. I just really want the game to be complete and it's best cause I really love it.

[waterdeep-weavemoss]

So many things in Karlach Cliffgate’s life have been tumultuous and uncertain. Here, manning the helm in the swirling tempest, the fog clears. She has answers. A purpose. At least for now. Channeling her pent-up anxieties and the raw power of the storm itself, Karlach enters a rage, ignoring her infernal engine’s whine of protest.

She falls back into the natural rhythm of command she has grown all-too accustomed to in the captain’s prolonged absence. Barking orders. Scanning the deck. Fighting with the Bitch Queen herself, it seems, for control of the ship’s wheel. Keeping an ever-watchful eye on the bow, where Doe, Gale, and Lae’zel disappeared moments before. Where the captain stands frozen. Can’t think about that. Gotta keep focus. It isn’t until Lae’zel pulls Doe aboard and Gale hauls himself over the railing that she turns the helm over to the pilot and runs to meet them. 

Astarion is paralyzed again at the sight of Gale collapsed on the deck and Doe limp and nearly lifeless. “Now,” Halsin shouts, and the captain bundles Doe in his arms and bolts to his quarters, not even recognizing his first mate as he brushes past. Karlach reaches the navigator moments after Halsin does. She takes a knee, focusing her aura to quell the storm in their immediate vicinity and shelter the downed man from the deluge. Halsin briefly looks up from his patient and nods in approval. The doctor’s eyes flash golden for an instant as healing magic suffuses into Gale’s body. With a cough and a sputter, Gale’s breathing regulates and his eyes open. He meets Karlach’s worried gaze and gives a pained smile.

“Don’t worry, lass. Death can’t have me. Not yet.” His words are cut short by another bout of coughing.

“Oh shut up, you big oaf,” Karlach groans. “Let’s get you inside.” 

She pulls Gale to his feet, using her body to steady him as they toddle their way back to the officer’s quarters. Tara meets them at his door with a worried yelp and butts against Gale’s legs with the top of her head as Karlach half-carries him to the bed. He drops onto the cot, eyes wrenched shut and hand clutching his chest where the tendrils of his tattoo still writhe and glow.

“Go, Karlach,” he says weakly, “Tara and I can take it from here.” The tressym chirps in affirmation.

The first mate hesitates for a moment before dashing back out to the deck and resuming command.

~~~

The following evening, Karlach grabs two bowls of stew from the mess hall and heads straight to Gale's door. She raps against it a couple times with her elbow, trying not to drop the bread precariously balanced on the edge of their dishes. "You there, sailor? Hadn't noticed you in the chow line for a while. Figured you could use some vittles. Can't have my navigator getting scurvy."

"I'm in," Gale calls back. His reply is gruff and hoarse through the door. 

A soft click and the door swings open to let her in. He's sitting hunched over his table, head in hand and pouring over a half dozen books. Gale looks even more haggard than usual - pale, hair disheveled instead of tied back, and deep bruises beneath his eyes. 

When Karlach enters he looks up to her and manages a soft smile. It warms a fraction when he sees she's brought dinner. "Ah, thank you. You didn't have to do that."

Karlach plunks herself down on his unmade cot. "Don't mention it. You might need your privacy to deal with the..." She gestures in his direction with her spoon. "Uh... the thing, but it doesn't mean you don't deserve tending to. What happened out there?"

Gale accepts the bowl of stew with a grateful nod, realizing as his stomach lurches that he'd let too much time pass. He heaves a heavy sigh. "I was irresponsible," he returns, "I should've done a better job teaching Doe the hazards of trying to use her magic - she's got an affinity for it. I didn't expect her to try and wield it so- so brashly."

Karlach's eyes go wide. "That was Doe? I was worried it might have been the handiwork of one of Archlord Batshit's cronies."

"There was a storm brewing - but I think she magnified it. Probably in an attempt to calm it." As he mulls it over, Gale takes bites of the stew, pausing to blow on the spoonful. His brows draw low in consternation.

"Oh, shit." The tiefling pushes her stew around in her bowl for a moment, trying to make sense of what she had seen from the helm. "So you saw a bit of that, in your lesson?"

"Yes," he murmurs with a sharp nod. "She was able to channel storm energy. But I only saw a nascent fraction of what she did on the deck."

Gale pauses, setting the bowl down to bury his hands into his hair in weary frustration.

"The more I consider it, the more confident I am that she may well be a storm sorcerer. And my lesson was wholly insufficient to prepare her..."

Karlach sets her bowl on the desk and places a firm hand on Gale's shoulder. "Hey, stop it. You couldn't have known."

"No, I should have-" he huffs back in rising frustration, "I let myself get distracted, and it put the whole crew in danger! My negligence! Again!"

Her voice softens. "Gale. That was not your fault, either."

He looks like he wants to argue. But they've had that discussion a dozen times too many already. Instead he just scrubs his face with his hands and leans his elbows heavily onto the table. 

After a beat of silence, he finally speaks again. 

"What's done is done...and thank the gods no one was seriously hurt. But I'll have to do more. Doe has to learn control."

Karlach nods. "Agreed. Last I heard, she's still in and out of it, but once she's fully come to, it might be wise for us all to discuss that with her." She pauses. "What about you? Are you alright? It's been a long time since a flare looked that bad."

Gale's quiet for a long moment. When he glances to Karlach his eyes are wide and full of a soft terror. 

"Not really," he admits softly. "It was like... like Doe vanished when we went under. I lost sight of her..." 

"I knew the risk, but-" Gale's fists curl against the table, his breath catching. "I panicked. I reached out with my magic." 

He pauses again, his eyes scanning the books on his table, spread out desperately like pieces of a map that could be chained to lead him to a solution - if only he knew how they fit together. 

"She answered."

"Fuck." Karlach's stomach turns. She holds his gaze for a moment of silence. Her hand drops to her lap. "What happened down there?"

"An audience, if you can call it that." He groans and shakes his head. "She took a little bit more."

Karlach stares down at her lap. "You didn't have much left to give."

Gale's silence and sorrowful expression as he looks at her is answer enough. He looks gaunt and pale - drained. And when he does speak, his voice is harsh around the emotion clogging his throat. 

"I don't have much choice."

Karlach just nods slightly, eyes flicking up to meet his for a moment before drifting back down to the floor of the cabin. Unlike Astarion and herself, Gale's tormentor still has her claws in him. It's one thing to have been mutilated, to require tune-ups and check-ins and ensure she doesn't overdo it, but at least she is her own now. Gale still doesn't have that luxury. 

The words she can't say hang in the air between them. Finally, she speaks. "I'm sorry."

Gale's hand catches hers, squeezing her fingers. The silence falls heavy. Years of work, laid out on the table in front of him - ancient, esoteric tomes. Anything that might have an answer. They've been working on it since Gale came aboard the Sanguine Shadow. 

He wants to tell her there's an answer. Wants there to be one. 

But he doesn't know.

Karlach squeezes back before dropping his hand. She grabs her bowl, leaving his half-finished stew behind in hopes he'll eat more once she's gone. "I should go. Gotta do one last sweep of the deck, check in on Cap and Doe, you know. If you need anything, I'm across the hall. Alright?"

"Thanks, Karlach."

"Any time." The door clicks shut behind her.

~~~

It’s been a long time since Karlach has taken a proper shore leave. She looks herself over in the small mirror hung above her dressing table. She’s broken out the nice blouse and polished her boots for such a special occasion, and the rings and studs in her various piercings glint in the light of the setting sun. A drink and a dance might do her good for a change. The captain had all but commanded her to go and enjoy herself, anyway.

She makes her way to the gangplank and begins to assess the landing party when a familiar half-elf, bruised and beleaguered, marches directly up to the group.

“Don’t fuss. I’m not bloody staying in bed another second.”

Without warning, Karlach immediately swoops Doe up into a massive hug, careful to avoid the worst of the bruising.

“Hey there, sailor,” she says softly. “We missed you.”

Doe watches Tara leave, slightly more content knowing that Gale is alive and will be alright. When she turns back, Karlach is upon her.

'Oh!' Doe isn't expecting being swept up into Karlach's arms, and it breaks something in her. 'Oh, Karlach,' she says, voice suddenly thick with emotion. 'I really fucked up, didn't I?'

She pulls back slightly to look up into the tiefling's face, searching her gaze.

There are so many things she wants to say.

I'm sorry.

I put everyone in danger.

I should just leave.

Astarion is furious with me and I can't blame him but in this moment I can't stand him either. I need space. Gods, I love him so much I want to fall to my knees with the pain of it. Right now I hate him. All I needed from him was to be held. I'm scared. I know he is too.

Gale... he's going to blame himself. It's not his fault. I love him so much. I don't want to leave him. Whatever power this is within me, he's going to feel responsible. My priority will have to be him, when I return. So that never happens again.

I'm glad I didn't die.

I was so scared I was going to. I thought all my nightmares were premonitions in that moment.

I'm a liability and a danger to everyone. I can't be that again. I need to be more than I am.

I looked death in the face and it passed me by, by some miracle.

And it shouldn't have.

Instead, she tucks herself into her embrace, takes a deep breath to keep from crying, and says: 'you scrub up well, sailor. Of course you missed me. I'm delightful.' She squeezes hard, trying to convey everything by touch. 'Now,' she says, stepping back and putting on a bright smile. 'Let's go dancing. And drinking.'

[serregon]

so Baldur’s Gate is overall really good, but not without criticism, and I’m kinda pissed about Halsin becoming irrelevant and the portrayal of his trauma.

I’ve seen some players calling Halsin’s story boring and two-dimensional, and I wish I could say I disagree with them, but I honestly can’t, and he deserved better than what we got.

I really liked Halsin in acts 1 and 2, but it feels like he just doesn’t have much going for him in act 3. I get that he isn’t an origin character, so he isn’t going to have the same big arcs that the main six get, but it feels like the writers just didn’t know what to do with him after act 2. act 2 was pretty much the conclusion of his character arc, and act 3 is just him hitching along for the ride. the thing is, he isn’t even playable until you’re almost halfway into act 2. he’s only playable when his story is almost over.

the only quest Halsin gets in act 3 isn’t even exclusively his quest. he’s one of several characters who could be kidnapped by Orin. so odds are it isn’t going to be his story in your playthrough. that’s it for him. couldn’t he have a small sidequest, like maybe making amends with the tiefling refugees? what about a quest with Jaheira to find other druids in the city? or what about actually meeting those hastily tacked-on shadow druids? if he doesn’t have his own quest what’s the point of having him in my party anymore?

one thing we do get from act 3 is a new side of Halsin where he’s really uncomfortable about being in the city. he’s in an unfamiliar and overstimulating environment, and seeing the poor treatment of refugees makes him lose hope in humanity. it gets to the point that he actually starts to think that the shadow druids had a point. the character who’s always putting on a kind and brave face is starting to break. that’s a good set up for an arc! sure hope it goes somewhere.

eventually Halsin’s unease about staying in the city causes him to have a complete meltdown. he loses control over his bear form and injures Scratch. when he turns back into an elf, he’s panicking about how the city is making him both physically and mentally sick. he has lost all hope in this world, and he pulls out a dagger and holds it to his chest. that’s a really shocking and evocative scene! who doesn’t love watching the nice guy go apeshit? I’d love to see where this goes for his character.

except, that last scene wasn’t actually Halsin, that was Orin taking his form to taunt the player. so that scene went nowhere. I can’t help but feel like I was robbed. you thought Halsin would have a deep character moment, but you were wrong! it’s just like an “it was all just a dream” ending. and of course that scene only happens if Orin chooses to kidnap him over someone else so there’s a good chance you won’t even see this non-character development. so yeah my take is that that scene should have played out with the real Halsin.

we do get another piece of Halsin lore in act 3, but the way it’s handled is. Bad. very bad, even. and this is where I have to add a content warning for sexual abuse.

so when you get to the brothel, the player and their partner can sleep with these twin drow sex workers. if you ask Halsin to join you, he just drops “yeah I was raped by two drow before lol. they tied me to a bed for three years haha crazy right.” I can’t fault Halsin for using a somewhat jokey tone when talking about his abuse. I also can’t fault him for saying that he even sorta liked it at times, abuse survivors are allowed to have complex feelings about their abuse. the problem is, the story itself is not taking this seriously. as far as I could find, Halsin’s history of sexual abuse is brought up absolutely nowhere else in the game. it’s literally only brought up when Halsin makes that half joking reference to it. the player can’t even ask Halsin about it like “hey man that’s a pretty traumatic thing are you alright?” this whole side of his character is a missable one-off line. where does this hint of backstory lead? why can’t we confront him about this later? there’s a lot you could do with a character who hides how deeply something affected him, but it literally comes off like being raped for three years straight barely affected Halsin at all. it’s such a heavy topic that feels like it was tacked on at the last minute with little thought.

it’s also weird because the game handles Astarion’s trauma with so much more grace. they know how to write a male sexual abuse survivor with the respect he deserves, so why couldn’t they do the same for Halsin? it doesn’t even need to be a whole arc, just some camp dialogue or literally anything.

semi-related tangent: the brothel is a steaming pile of tired tropes. the incestuous sex workers? of course the sex workers are freaks, how original! and the murdered sex worker shoved in the fridge like she’s nothing? never seen that one before! the madam who doesn’t give a shit about the safety of said murdered employee? you really reinvented the wheel there!

idk man just. everything else about this game is really really good, but act 3’s flaws stick out like a sore thumb. Halsin and sex workers deserve better.