#but i love wyll and these actors' performances

[wheretheresawyll]

What's happening with Theo Solomon is so, so frustrating and needless and disgusting (more info can be found at this post), and I also want to acknowledge the treatment of Wyll's original voice/mo-cap actor, Lanre Malaolu.

Malaolu gave an excellent performance! His delivery and the way he incorporated mannerisms and posture into Wyll's physicality was amazing. The original characterization of Wyll was written very well and matched the general tone of the wider party/narrative.

And to suddenly have Larian, years into the project, rewrite the character entirely and then re-cast it? To have other actors talk about how Wyll just 'wasn't working' as a character? All because of fan criticism that places ridiculous (and often contradictory) standards and expectations on black characters. Even if the re-cast resulted from scheduling conflicts (as Malaolu couldn't come in to re-record), we lost Malaolu's entire performance because of a rewrite that was simply not necessary.

And after disregarding Malaolu's years of work into this character, the same criticisms that Larian caved into are thrown at Wyll's rewrite, and the same disregard is being seen with Theo Solomon again and again. As someone who started playing early access when it first came out, fans' treatment of Wyll and his actors hasn't gotten better. It's actively gotten worse.

[daily-sloop-john-b]

Tim has called Gale "a rabid golden retriever". He's a character who's prone to limerence, and is more likely to voice his qualms than act upon them (see: him being able to be convinced to stay after the druid grove, v. Karlach and Wyll*). Mechanically, he's the easiest to get an "Exceptional" approval from (I got this before we hit the goblin camp; I think Karlach was still on Medium and Astarion on Neutral).

(* Gale staying may admittedly be a character facet borne from the mechanical practicality that without Gale, you'd be running either 2 or 3 (if you recruit Minthara) other party members (I doubt Halsin or Jaheira would be recruitable for an evil run, and Minsc isn't until Act 3). Someone had to stick around. Gale is also one of the longer-developed characters, while Karlach and Wyll were shorter development times -- a writer has half as much dialogue to write if the characters refuse to participate in half the possible adventure.)

Gale's answer to his partner telling him "no" (repeatedly! as a goddess!) isn't to respect her boundaries, but to spend months researching and digging up a piece of her past that he knows killed her. Then getting a slice of evil/anti-magic embedded in him Iron Man-style. (It's likely this recklessness that reminded the first tagger of a red-bull-fueled engineer.)

By the time we meet him, he's tempered these responses a bit, but compare breaking up with Gale vs. breaking up with Astarion (I'm using Astarion b/c he's the only other character I've broken up with; I love both in different ways): Gale mopes, is bitter about it (An act later, and I haven't gotten gale's colder "yes?" or "what is it?" dialogue to change back to the more jovial "how may I help you"), and tells you to go away. Astarion asks if it's his fault and Approves of being friends now.

This isn't even mentioning the Crown of Karsus.

BG3 is a game of possibilities; your Gale might be kind and romantic, but Gale also has the option to become the God of Ambition; I've never heard of a god of such a domain being particularly good, or nice.

I just saw someone in the tags of a post imply that Gale isn't romantic, sweet, or ethical.

Hello, are we playing the same game?

I think they meant well because the original post was a Gale positive post. About how Gale is strong, competent, and poweful, not weak or pathetic. But we are not taking positive character traits from another character and projecting them on to Gale.

Gale IS insanely romantic. Gale can be salty, but he is also sweet. Gale might be willing to turn the other cheek on occasion, but he is moral and ethical.

They also implied in their tags that Gale would have no moral qualms with morally and ethically dubious things, such as bombs and dubcon, which is also untrue. Gale is not evil. His alignment has now been confirmed as Neutral Good via the Idle Champions.

Yes, you can manipulate him to stay with you in an evil run, but the keyword is manipulate.

I don't have the time to explore this further at the moment, and I'm not going to call the user out. But bad character takes annoy me.

[miraculan-draws]

Theo performs SO MANY of Wyll's lines with this sort of like...not-quite hushed campfire intimacy that just makes you LISTEN!! It's hard to describe—its almost like he's closer to the mic, which is probably untrue given the rigs I've seen in the behind the scenes shots but still.

There are very SPECIFIC scenes that stand out to me with the other actors that hit the same tickle-spot for my ears: Gale's act 2 confession ("I love this time of night"), Shadowheart's Selûnite Act 3 ending ("I don't deserve to be anyone's daughter) and Astarion's graveyard scene ("Maybe. But he did take it.)

But I hear it from Wyll just in normal camp conversations. Even super early!! The story about the farmer and the devil in ACT ONE is spoken with such carefulness, so is his warning about Mizora coming for him. And like!! It's very cool when you think about it from a mechanical standpoint. He has the highest charisma. He knows how to make you pay attention. It feels intentional, and it's cool to imagine it is even if it's just as likely a very lovely tonal quality in Theo's voice.

[rowan-of-waterdeep]

I have a love-hate relationship with the character of Astarion.

I love the depth, the emotion, the sheer humanity that Larian managed to imbue into that little bunch of pixels.

I love that Larian pulled Neil in time and time again over four years to work on Astarion *with* him.

I love that Neil helped to shape Astarion's story. Advocated for him. Pushed for the *right* dialogues. Was the person to say "He wouldn't say that!"

I love that Neil is both passionate about Astarion and vehemently does not want to be him.

I love that Neil did such a wonderful job on Astarion's voice and movement. He deserves every damn award he's received.

I hate that the other actors didn't seem to get the same opportunity to engage with their character and put out the same sort of performance as Neil did. Because yes, he did an amazing job. But the playing field does not seem to have ever been level.

I hate that Neil in particular has had so many issues with fans because a vulnerable hurting character attracts the predators.

I hate that the other characters didn't get the same level of attention and love, and that it shows so damn dramatically.

I hate that Wyll, our only Black companion, got 6 months of Theo shoved into a sound booth with lines thrown at him and often no idea of what would be coming that day.

I hate that Theo seems to have never had the chance to really grasp or understand Wyll's story, let alone advocate for him, because everything was so rushed and he was basically burning the candle at both ends.

I hate that it shows so much in Wyll's story, his interactions, everything.

I hate that I love Astarion and constantly resent this fictional character a little because he gets to be an oil painting and the other characters are a collection of crayon drawings and sketches.

I hate that despite the glaring issues with the characters and questlines, Larian has still done better than most *major* game studios when it comes to thoughtful, considerate representation and diversity, and how far there is to go.

I hope that Larian were using Astarion as a litmus test. That they wanted to see if pulling in the actors at the start and engaging them heavily - instead of worrying about spoilers and leaks to the point of hurting their game - would lead to a better, more real character. If maybe having a single person advocating for each character would provide a better, more cohesive user experience in the end.

I hope they learnt that yes, people will engage far more heavily with a character when they're rich with detail and feel like real people.

I hope they learnt that to do that, you NEED to have someone in charge of keeping the character on track so you don't wander off into the weeds trying to follow every bit of customer feedback, especially when it's racist or sexist or transphobic or homophobic.

I hope they learnt that yes, letting the actors engage with their characters creates a bond that enhances the performance and adds veracity to emotional scenes. It makes the story feel as though it has a flow to it.

I hope that in their next game, they do better.

I hope that we, collectively, expect them to do better.

[escxelle]

just so that we're all on the same page, the lack of wyll content is not astarion's fault because he's a fictional character with no choice over his content.

the lack of wyll content is not astarion fans' fault either because they also do not make the choices for wyll's content. you can't blame people for enjoying and liking a character and making him popular. this also just causes unnecessary discourse and fighting within the fandom. just leave them alone and focus your anger and upset to where it could make a difference.

the lack of wyll content is not even neil newbon's fault because again, he doesn't decide wyll's content either. also i've seen people use this argument to just shit on neil's performance and acting which is just???? i saw someone say that they didn't think he should have got the game award for best performance 😭 no idea how that is relevant to wyll having no content (and also you're wrong).

the lack of wyll content, however, is larian's fault because they do make the choices over wyll's content and choose to listen to astarion fans over wyll fans. larian don't have a backbone when it comes to astarion so when astarion fans voice their opinions about astarion's content, larian will be at their beck and call but if wyll fans voice their opinions, they're completely ignored. you can't blame astarion fans when it's larian that's the pushover. instead of taking your anger on astarion, his fans or his actor, take it to larian who are the only ones who are responsible for the wyll drought and could do something about it.

in the meantime, keep giving wyll all the love he deserves and showing larian how much we love him so that hopefully they can do their job and actually give him content.

also, i thought i'd mention that some wonderful modders, Magnetuning and Aimryax, are making a series of mods to give wyll more content called the wcu (the wyll cinematic universe) on nexus mods seeing as larian can't do their job 🙄 it reuses voicelines from early access and some other parts of the game and it looks amazing :) i'm going to be downloading it for my next playthrough! hopefully, if loads of people use this mod, larian will finally take notice and think about adding official content for him. you can find the first mod in the series here: https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/12174

tldr: the lack of wyll content is not astarion's fault, his fans' or his actor's fault but larian's fault so focus your attention on them and in the meantime play all the wyll extra content mods!

edit: i won't be responding or replying to people looking for an argument because, as you can see what i put above, arguing over this is just unnecessary discourse that diverts from the real problem which is larian not respecting wyll, theo or wyll fans. if you're angry, argue with larian, not me because i don't make wyll's content. neither do astarion or astarion fans or astarion's actor.

[alicelufenia]

So Emma Gregory guested on the latest episode of Samantha Béart's "It Takes A Village", they had a fantastic talk about acting as a career, and especially Emma's experience with radio and audiobooks, and how she brought that to her performance in Baldur's Gate 3.

They also answered some questions from chat. Shout out to @lutethebodies (2:08:16) and @ilikedetectives (2:09:37) for your questions, great effort to try and ask about Minthara's romance and [SPOILER] Dark Urge rejecting and getting killed by Bhaal! Unfortunately she either didn't remember or preferred not to comment too much, but she did say that she feels Minthara would be surprised, and "extremely upset", so take that as you will I guess.

There was also a question about her opinion of Larian making it easier to recruit her in a good playthrough, and I absolutely love her answer!

I was in two minds about it. There was a part of me that thought it was a shame, because it's a game and she's not human, and sometimes in games you get to do things that you wouldn't dream of doing in real life. And then on the other hand I also really appreciated people wanted to play her and were tired of turning her into a sheep or whatever <...> I don't want to weaken the complexity of Minthara or the complexity of playing the game. There's a little element of me thinking that may have been done slightly. But at the same time <...> it's also great, so both.

Obviously her first point that it's a game goes without saying, it's nonsense to place any judgement on someone for how they play it, but it can still come down to a difference of preference. "I prefer to have Minthara along with Karlach, Wyll and Halsin, and I'd rather not juggle a murder sheep to do it" is a perfectly fair thing to want out of the game.

Where there might be more contention is saying that a good playthrough recruitment weakens the complexity of her character. And honestly, I think she's totally right.

First, it bypasses most of her act 1 scenes. You can knock her out without even talking to her. When you meet her again in act 2 she's being actively tormented by the cultists and the Absolute, and after freeing her she comes under protection of the Prism. That much is the same in both cases.

But by siding with her and especially if you romance her, you can discover what it means for her to be shielded from the Absolute. And it's not like breaking free of mind control—the experience is akin to a crisis of faith. You wouldn't even notice unless you talk to her in the aftercare scene.

I just don't think that comes across as strongly in a Not Killing the Grove playthrough, so personally, if you want the most out of her story, you're doing yourself a disservice by going the knock out route.

And, as someone who did it herself, it's not exactly like you're barred from a good playthrough after killing the grove. It'll just be a good playthrough without the tieflings and not as many companions. I can personally recommend it, if you want Minthara's act 1 story but don't want to go full evil durge or whatever.

[medra-gonbites]

Baldur's Gate 3 Companion Head Canon Filmmaker Edition

Depending on your crew, filmset can be the best time or the worst time of your life!  While kicking back and playing Baldur’s Gate I started to wonder what kind of positions would the gang assume on a filmset.

Here is my personal HeadCanon for the tadfools (+ Jaheira, Halsin, the Dead Three and Withers) if they were to be on a film set.

Astarion | Costume 

Of course Astarion would be in charge of the costume department! Not only because he can sew and design the best costumes with utmost skill, if you provide him with nothing but rags, but also because he would make sure the actors are always decent and taken care of. End of a risqué scene? Boom, he is already there with a robe, some blankets and a water bottle. “Let’s take you back to the changing room darling!"

Besides he is very fast and stealthy which would be a perfect time saver for in between takes: last minute check and tweak before we start rolling? Watch him dash to unwrinkle fabrics or refasten pins: 0 second lost.

Shadowheart | Production Design

Shadowheart would love to be in charge of the decor. Already in pre-production she would have a blast skimming flea markets and brocantes to find props and elements to create the perfect set, although she would probably be able to craft it from scratch if needed be, and could create an atmosphere with nothing but cardboard if she had to. She would keep track of all the props and organize them in a neat fashion. She would be so focused there is no chance you would end up with a continuity error (not in her department anyways!).

Karlach | Light Technician

Karlach has a light crew vibe to herself. She would run around rolling and unrolling cables, carrying and setting up C stands, activating generators, going as far as powering them herself if she has to. Watch her set up the lights and filters like it's nobody’s business. Sandbags? No worries she can carry 20 at a time. She can hold a reflective panel above her head for hours without breaking a sweat. Friendly and motivated, she is a wonder to work with and the camera crew has no issues communicating and coordinating with her. Tell her what needs to be lit and she will make sure it is. Let there be light!

Wyll | Acting

The charisma, these dance skills, the whole blade of frontier performance that radiates main character energy? You cannot convince me Wyll is not born to stand under the spotlight or in front of the cameras. At the beginning of his carrier had a preference for theater but he prefers cinema because it gives him the opportunity to do several takes and indulge his perfectionist side. He would be on set early to rehearse and he would be an absolute treasure to the rest of the crew. Very talented and humble, the best actor to work with!

Gale | Director of Photography

I will not budge: Gale would be in charge of the imagery. What angle, what move, what ratio, what color? He'd know what’s best to tell the story and his composition would always be on point. He’s got 10 different lenses, he made the shotlist six months before the shoot and he went on all the location scouting rekkie, even the ones he did not have to attend. He also checked the location at different hours to have a look at the natural light change through the day. He is very patient with his assistants and with the lighting crew which he would always give a hand to set up the lamps (literally thanks to the old mage hand). Don’t touch his camera though, he will fight you.

Lae’zel | First Assistant Director

“Ok, we have a schedule and we have to make sure we respect it. How much time do you need to build this scene? 10 minutes? Do it in 5!”. Lae’zel would be such an efficient first AD but she also would become the scapegoat of the set because of how demanding and blunt she would be. She doesn't mind and she knows its a status that often comes with the job. At the end of the day, everyone would get to leave on time though (or barely a few hours of overtime) and everyone would be grateful for it. You can and you will have a drink with her afterwards and all will be forgiven.

Halsin | Safety Coordinator

Obviously, Halsin would be in charge of safety; because film is fun and should remain fun, no matter how serious it is for some: nobody is getting hurt on his watch! 

Intense traumatic scene with an actor? He will be a perfect intimacy coordinator: he knows how to handle personal space and aftercare. Tricky stunt? He’s got a first-aid kit ready (not that you will need it as he made sure all equipment necessary for the stunt are secure). Animal Handling? Yes, he got that covered too, the creatures will be treated as royalty and he can even shape shift to keep them company. Child actor on set? Did he mention he can take care of that too? Beyond all this he will make sure everyone in general is keeping healthy, calling for breaks, making sure everyone has enough to drink and/or eat which he will remind the whole crew to do because they tend to forget.

Minthara | Production Manager

Yes, Minthara has arranged the location, the catering, the shooting authorization and pretty much all the rentals that you need for the day. You better be on time on her set: the call sheet is precise and so should you. She will make sure everything that has been arranged will proceed as expected but should the unexpected occur last minute? Well that’s not a problem because she is cool as ice and can perform under pressure like none. There, she fixed it, and with an hour to spare. After the production, she will chase you and spam 3 reminders a day for you to send your invoice and receipts (she gotta book everything for the accountant!).

Jaheira | Location Manager

Jaheira is the first and the last on set. She gets the keys to places, she relays the instructions on where to find what, what is off limits and what can or cannot be used.  She will make sure everyone parks at the right spots, that people that are outside of sets are not hindered by your crew, and that the place is given back clean (or cleaner even). She is always very sweet to the person in contact, be it the owner of the location you're shooting at, the caterer or curious bystanders who come to investigate. She also keeps an eye on the carpooling schedule. Nobody will be forgotten on her watch.

Minsc | Boom Operator

Minsc is in charge of taking sound. He listens carefully to every take to make sure there are no parasites or interference; if he doubts he will ask Boo to double check for him. He will mic up the actor very gently, giving them funny lines to say to test the mic. He finds it hilarious to call out farts when he hears them in his headphones; he will then ask loudly who it was. Often it is himself.

Tav | Writer/Director

It is their story and you better believe they will see it through. They wrote the damn thing, they gathered the right crew and they will direct it all. They call the shots and make the decisions. At the end of the day they call action and cut. Whether it is a happy or bad ending, the story will have 3 to 5 acts and it will be sent out to all the A list festivals of Toril.

Durge | Director/Producer

It is their story too but they did not write it, however they did make sure it was possible to make it by any means necessary! They are in charge and they even have a cap and a chair to prove it. They had a megaphone too at some point but it was misplaced (stolen by Astarion who got fed up with all the yelling).

The Dead Three | Executive producer

These three are power hungry, ruthless and bloodthirsty, of course they are producers! They know where the money is, they know how to get it, they know who to play and sweet talk to get it. Orin tends to be more artistically involved in the project but Gortash has the people’s touch and will be in charge of handling communication and distribution. Ketheric will make sure the money gets where it needs to go and will be in contact with the subsidies and fundings to provide reports and deliverables.

Withers | Storyboard

It is Tav and Durge’s story but Withers illustrated it. Visualization goes a long way for the whole crew and it is nice to have something to fall back on when the chaos of the shot list overwhelms you. Thanks Boneman!

Do you agree with this? Do you have other characters in mind that could be useful on set?

Did this spark an AU fanfic idea within me? Maybe...

[bharv]

oh hey! actually i was very curious - i never played bg3 in early access, and i heard wyll changed a lot? i have many thoughts about him, but also he ended up with... the least cutscenes and dialogue of any companion by far, despite theoretically having a huge connection to the main plot. it's hard to figure out whether there was an actual issue with the original writing, or if it was just racism that made people dislike the early version so strongly, RIP. what was he like in there?

- the gale thoughts anon <]:)

Hello anon. I was going to answer this with links etc but I have no idea when I’m going to be on desktop. So, with apologies that this is a bit scatty and off the hoof.

Starting with the obvious (or maybe the thing I need to make obvious!) that I’m not a Black fan, I don’t speak from that experience and you should seek out the writings of fans who really know what they’re talking about around fandom racism, which is a real fucking problem.

And! With the caveat that I cannot be totally objective about this because I LOVED early access Wyll in an EMOTIONAL way. I loved Lanre’s performance, I was bewitched body and soul by this silly man. I still think of him. I loved that boy! But!

I kind of think it’s a bit of both. Which I know will sound like a cop out.

I was disappointed in the fan reaction that Wyll was boring. It felt very off to me as his story was rich with potential. He was a charming, swashbuckling folk hero who wanted to be the hero SO BAD. A guy who wants to be a hero so much, but is also so bad at it! When you went to the fire, everybody was like oh fucking hell, not this idiot. Not Nepo-baby Wyll who flunked out of the Fist despite being a descendant of Eltan himself (I loved this moment, it was a real reveal of ohhh, he’s not what he thinks his is or says he is.) Who is humiliated by goblins as a young man and in a moment of weakness, signs a pact that changes his life? Who uses it to do good things, but is still a little immature, a little too passionate, and can still have that shade of a man who cares a little too much about heroics, instead of what it truly means to be good? It was JUICY! Not to even mention his malapropisms, his attempts to be seductive and being so silly. Man, he was so soft and fun but with this real core of anger that he didn’t know what to do with, a man of passions who made a mistake he didn’t know how to deal with.

So yeah. I do think that it was influenced by the fact he was a Black character and they didn’t bother to try to play with him.

However, I also see why they rewrote him. In the original drafts, Wyll’s relationship with Mizora was coded a bit more personally than what we got if that makes sense. It felt like they were almost in a toxic situationship. She was constantly communicating via his sending stone, and was very much a part of his day to day life. And that, with how things would pan out if it ends in the same kind of way would have been. Eesh. Not good, especially with her human design being a white woman. Also, and I’m not saying this is a good thing… but it’s what I personally saw, there was some overlap in themes with Gale. The romantic patron storyline, the hubris. And early access Gale was a bit more serious, and it was probably a bit of a waste of having comedy actor like Downie in the role (which is quite a bit of casting, he’s very well respected in audio work so it seems silly not to use all his talents.) so a lot of the silly puns and lightness sat naturally in a Gale rewrite, or development.

I just wish there had been more time. I think Theo’s performance is lovely and I love the Wyll we got. He absolutely smashed it and I was SO worried when I heard about the recast as a huge Lanre Malaolu fan. I love that he’s a romantic, I love that he’s so self sacrificing and strong and GOOD. The earliest days of early access, everybody was either evil or VERY morally dubious. It needed at least one good character, and Wyll was a great choice for that character. I just hope against hope that we do get some more act 3 upper city content for him. It feels like that is where he would really shine.

Also if you ever get a chance, as an aside, to see Lanre Malaolu dance? Run, don’t walk. He is an incredible choreographer, actor, director. One of the most thrilling people working in theatre today. I am a mega fan. I think he has some work on YouTube, so get acquainted as he is truly something special.

[slverblood]

I know I’m always talking about how much I love the way Gale talks, but I love the way Wyll talks, too. With Gale, it’s his diction, how poetic he often is. The rhythm of his speech, too, like he’s performing Shakespeare so effortlessly. This is someone I would fully believe has studied the art of elocution and practiced it well.

Wyll, though, speaks like a bard. Much more of it is in the tone and cadence of his voice than the words themselves. There’s an element of performance to his words as well, but in a different direction. His is a voice you hear by the fireside in halls both grand and humble sharing folktales of timeless memory and moral lesson. It speaks to the way he views himself and his life — as well as how he wants others to perceive him, as the fabled Blade of Frontiers more than a man — but also his history. He rarely makes a moral directly, at least not without exposition. Much like how he can’t explain his pact with Mizora directly or the effect it’s had on his life. He must hope that people can look at the story of his life, his deeds, and extrapolate the truth of who he is. In some ways, you wonder if he feels Wyll died the day that pact was made and only the Blade of Frontiers has lived on.

I feel Gale’s reasons for speaking as he does is clear tbh. He probably did explicitly study elocution. What’s more, though, is there’s been an incredible burden on him since he was a child to be a specific sort of wonder. To be the best educated, most skilled, impeccably composed, well-rounded, the standard by which all others are judged. There’s reason to think that has followed him every moment, that he was always the Prodigy:tm: even in his off hours. Arguably even in his sleep as My.st.ra likely visited him there on occasion.

And then both of them are interesting contrasted against Astarion. He’s theatrical in a much more blatant way, but imo it’s not his words that are of interest so much as his pitch, his cadence, and his body language. He speaks in very exaggerated pitch and cadence, throwing it high then low on a dime, as if on a grand stage performing to a live audience. More noteworthy is his dramatic body language — again, as if performing on a stage. But it’s dramatic in such a way that makes me think of commedia dell’arte. Each actor fits an archetype, dons a mask, and uses an exaggerated voice to speak gibberish to a specific cadence, conveying everything instead through exaggerated body language and gestures. He’s a consummate liar who doesn’t find his own words worth keeping up with, but then no one’s cared what he’s had to say for at least 200 years. He’s surprised if anyone listens to him. His physicality is far more telling because for centuries his body has been all that mattered, all that anyone wanted. His own relationship with it and with how others watch / touch it is a discussion all its own, but it factors heavily into how he communicates — unconsciously, I would argue. He lies a lot with his body language, yet it’s the surest place to find any truth as well.

[thatgaymerguyb]

Man it’s so disheartening to spend 80 hours building to a scene in a game and then get to it and have it still be glitched.

Wyll’s act 3 romance scene is still glitched for larger body types for male characters. There’s been 4 major patches and got knows how many hot fix’s and it’s still broken.

I just want my redeemed Dark Urge character Malakai to get the romance he deserves. This is my fourth playthrough and I’ve yet to get to this scene smoothly. First time it glitched he thought his dad was dead so he broke up with me. Second playthrough same glitch as this one. I played one playthrough as Wyll which was disappointing, if you love a character don’t do their origin playthrough it takes all of the personality out of the character because you get none of the actors performance at all.

Come on Larian you made his kiss so awesome I know you can get this right.

[tavyliasin]

TaValentine's Day FanFic Challenge!

This one was for the Tav'ern Babes Discord server, which is the fan server for Tav 1's actor (who has also done a lot more wonderful things, and is a sweetheart honestly, and the NSFW corner of the community I lurk in is very full of soft and wholesome adoration as much as the spicy side!

The Challenge: Two (or more!) characters are going on a romantic date.

That's it!

The date can be SFW, NSFW, Angst, whatever the writer is most drawn to. There is free reign to use NPCs, OCs, Origin characters, and even take the scenario into an AU (Alternate Universe) as long as: - At least one character is a named character in Baldur's Gate 3 - There is some kind of "date"

Below the cut you will find a link to each of the stories with the summaries~ Enjoy! If you enjoy the works, please leave the authors a little kudos or a comment~

Ta'Valentine's Day Collection

Prepare Accordingly by rubyfoxx Summary - Against her better judgement, Sorcerer Tav accepts Rolan's invite to meet at Bloomridge Park. When tensions escalate, the evening becomes more eventful than either of them expect. CWs - Rolan/Tav (Baldur's Gate), Rolan (Baldur's Gate)/Original Female Character(s), Rolan (Baldur's Gate)/Original Character(s), Rolan & Tav (Baldur's Gate), Rolan (Baldur's Gate), Tav (Baldur's Gate), Enemies to Lovers, Banter, Sorcerer Tav (Baldur's Gate), fighting with magic, Vaginal Fingering, Hand Jobs, Improper use of a Tiefling tail, Vaginal Sex, Outdoor Sex, Shameless Smut, Sorcerer vs Wizard rivalry, Multiple Orgasms, Mild BDSM, Spanking

A Feast Fit For A Fiend by Tavylia_Sin Summary - Tav receives an invitation to a date. Refusing such a gesture from Raphael would be unwise, and she is delighted to find an entire banquet laid out in her honour, even as Haarlep plans a dessert for the three of them to share afterwards… Written for the Tav'ern Discord Valentine Event, and I chose to write for Raphael, Haarlep and Tav because honestly they're some of my absolute favourites and this piece was delicious in more ways than one~ Also…perhaps you can tell, but of late I have been driven to gnawing at the walls at the very thought of the delightful ridges along a cambion's body~ Perhaps I'm a smudge jealous of Tav… CWs and Tags - Raphael/Tav (Baldur's Gate), Haarlep/Raphael (Baldur's Gate), Haarlep/Tav (Baldur's Gate), Haarlep/Raphael/Tav (Baldur's Gate), Haarlep (Baldur's Gate), Tav (Baldur's Gate), Raphael (Baldur's Gate), Food Play, date, Valentine Fic, TaValentine Challenge, Light Bondage, Teasing, Cambion Ridges, They/Them Pronouns for Haarlep (Baldur's Gate), Genderfluid Haarlep (Baldur's Gate), Nonbinary Haarlep (Baldur's Gate), Soft Haarlep (Baldur's Gate), Sub Raphael (Baldur's Gate), Top Raphael (Baldur's Gate), Soft Raphael (Baldur's Gate), Oral Sex, Group Sex, Tails, cambion tails, the other hot thing is the ridges on a cambion's body, Ridge, sI'll say it again RIDGES ON HIS BODY ARE SO HOT, Haarlep transforms, Honestly I do not know if she can fit all of that in there, and neither do you so let's just agree physics allows it because it's hot

The Rogue and the Grand Duke by rubyfoxx Summary - It's been six months since Tav has seen Wyll. Now Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate, he invites her to the theatre to reminisce. However, the performance turns out to be racier than he expects. CWs and Tags - Tav/Wyll (Baldur's Gate), Wyll (Baldur's Gate)/Original Character(s), Wyll (Baldur's Gate)/Original Female Character(s), Tav & Wyll (Baldur's Gate), Wyll (Baldur's Gate), Tav (Baldur's Gate), Sweet and smutty, Love Confessions, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Public Blow Jobs, Vaginal Fingering, Horn Stimulation, Inappropriate Theatre Behaviour, Grand Duke Wyll Ravengard

Valentines. by weallburntogether Summary - Excuse the horrifically unoriginal title, nothing else came to me. However, enjoy my attempt at an AU and Happy Valentines Day! CWs and Tags - Astarion/Gale (Baldur's Gate), Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Gale (Baldur's Gate), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff and Smut, First Dates, valentines day, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Bloodweave

Rising Under the Full Moon by nakedxtime Summary - Halsin plans a romantic date under the full moon for Astarion, wanting to show the vampire just how cherished he is. They can't keep their hands off of one another. Takes place after the events of BG3, non-ascended Astarion. Thank you as always to my beta WithAllDueSarcasm! CWs and Tags - Astarion/Halsin (Baldur's Gate), Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Halsin (Baldur's Gate), Rimming, improper use of druidic magic, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Face-Sitting, improper application of honey, but not as lube, Biting, Blood Drinking, Mild Blood, Overstimulation, Porn with Feelings, Creampie

Under the Tears of Selune by FalloutNukeGirl Summary - Amalia and Astarion spend an evening together down by the river, as they have before many times. But this time, Astarion is ready for more, and under the light of Selune, he keeps the promise he made to Amalia. CWs and Tags - Astarion (Baldur's Gate)/Original Female Character(s), Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Original Female Character(s), Blood, Biting, Vampire Bites, Hair-pulling, Praise Kink, Vaginal Fingering, Sex, Blood Drinking

[wheretheresawyll]

I checked out Neil Newbon's stream where he was talking with Theo Solomon, and something he said kind of irked me -

Neil was talking about Wyll's character in early access, and he mentions how the original character just wasn't working, and the rewrite/recasting was sorely needed. And I know he's just reiterating the feedback received from the fans (and that he's also talking to Theo, someone who he worked closely with as a director and who joined the team as the original actor's replacement). But like: what the hell was the problem with EA!Wyll?

The original performance was just as strong as Theo's. The original basis for the character was great. The romance was great. What was the issue? What was the feedback that Larian was receiving that warranted such a drastic overhaul, to the point that they wanted a new actor? (And I ask this as someone who loves Theo's performance as well as a lot of the rewrite).

I know some people have highlighted Wyll's extreme hatred for goblins...but honestly, I don't even think that was an issue. At least in Act 1, most of the goblins we see Wyll interact with were either:

Directly responsible for attacking him (and keeping his eyeball for a souvenir...to this day)

Indirectly responsible for attacking him (working for/supporting Spike)

Involved in killing passing travellers in the area

An active threat to the refugees Wyll is protecting

So I don't think Wyll's anger towards the goblins we encounter in Act 1 is that extreme in the circumstances we see it. If anything, I think his anger and trauma is just more shocking because it's Wyll - who is usually unflappable in any other situation. And again, that was just the first act of the game! We don't know where that aspect of Wyll's character was going to go. What was Wyll supposed to have? An entire character arc before we reached Moonrise and then just...be resolved for the rest of the full game? (Not to mention the other insensitive racial comments the rest of the party made in Early Access/the full game as well - Astarion about the Gur/goblins, Lae'zel about the tieflings, Shadowheart about Lae'zel, etc.)

And it seems like there was plenty set up for Early Access Wyll to confront! His romance scene at the party hints at what his character growth will be. Datamined lines has Zevlor confronting either Wyll/a warlock!Tav about being involved with devils. Even his interactions with the goblins hint how deep his PTSD goes, and it's heartbreaking. I was so excited to see where Wyll's story was going because we only saw the beginning of it - just as we did with the rest of the companions!

I don't know. It's just...frustrating.

[miyamorana]

Miya's 2023 Fanfic Recs Part 4

Here are all the cool, complete fics I’ve read this year. Separated into 5 posts because there’s nearly a hundred of them.

PART 4: VIDEO GAMES, MOVIES AND BOOKS (16)

Back to the Future (3)

Baldur's Gate 3 (1)

D&D: Honor Among Thieves (1)

Dragon Age (6)

Harry Potter (2)

Percy Jackson & Related Fandoms (3)

Part 1: Boku no Hero Academia (33) Part 2: Other Anime and Cartoons (20) Part 3: Television (16) Part 5: Crossovers (11)

Fandom: Back to the Future Title: Muscle Memory Authors: irisbleufic, leaper182 Pairing: Emmett “Doc” Brown/Marty McFly Rating: Explicit Word Count: 62,600 Summary: “Then why were we kissing, Doc?” Marty demanded. “I think I’d remember kissing you before actually kissing you!”

Fandom: Back to the Future Title: it is the dawn; time has shifted Author: Edgebug Pairing: Emmett “Doc” Brown/Marty McFly Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Word Count: 16,184 Summary: The flux capacitor shakes, screams, explodes. Marty and Doc deal with the aftermath.

Fandom: Back to the Future Title: A Matter of Time Author: breakaway71 Pairing: Emmett “Doc” Brown/Marty McFly Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 14,096 Summary: Marty is going to save Doc’s life, and if Doc won’t let him do it the easy way, if he’s so determined to stick to his damn principles and never read Marty’s note, well then, Marty’s going to do it the only other way he has left.

One day at a time.

-

(or: Marty returns to 1985 only to find that his best friend is gone and everyone in his family are strangers to him. Obviously, the only thing left for him to do is fix the time machine and go back to 1955. Easier said than done, of course.)

Fandom: Baldur’s Gate 3 Title: Devil’s Tongue Author: ushauz Pairing: Astarion/Wyll Rating: Mature Word Count: 6,554 Summary: Actor Feat: Your Charisma increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. Your Proficiency Bonus is also doubled for Deception and Performance checks.

A devil’s magic, as it turns out, involves a lot of lying to make it work. Wyll works overtime to perfect it.

Fandom: D&D: Honor Among Thieves Title: vicious mockery Author: andthentheybow Pairing: Edgin Darvis/Xenk Yendar, Simon Aumar/Doric Rating: Mature Word Count: 4195 Summary: “He doesn’t use magic,” Doric says, jutting her chin toward Edgin. Holga makes a noise that might be described as a grunt. Simon nods and takes another bite of stew. “Is it another tragic backstory thing?“

Simon looks like he’s about to speak through a mouthful of stew, then thinks better of it and swallows first. “Don’t ask me.” Doric gives him a look and turns to Holga.

“I don’t know,” Holga says. “Probably.”

Five times Edgin actually uses magic, and one time he doesn’t.

Fandom: Dragon Age (Dragon Age II) Title: Paper and Cotton Author: calligraphypenn Pairing: Anders/Fenris Rating: Teen Word Count: 14,835 Summary: Over the centuries, there developed in the Circle of Magi a tradition of showing affection, regard and intent through the giving of small, practical trinkets. It became a way to dodge any suspicion from the Circle authorities–who could object to the gift of some paper, or a single coin? In which Fenris is a practical elf, and accidentally tells Anders through tokens that he likes him VERY MUCH. But (at first) Fenris has no idea, and Anders is daily more baffled and suspicious. As seen on Tumblr, and now with lovely art by AO3 user Prudabaga.

Fandom: Dragon Age (Dragon Age II) Title: Chances Are Author: calligraphypenn Pairing: Anders/Fenris Rating: Teen Word Count: 9,065 Summary: Anders knows what it’s like, being hunted. When Fenris isolates himself in his mansion and keeps his health issues to himself, Anders puts aside their enmity to help him. As seen on Tumblr.

Fandom: Dragon Age (Dragon Age II, Dragon Age Origins: Awakening) Title: All of Me Author: Nikki66 Pairing: Anders/Fenris Rating: Explicit Word Count: 135,099 Summary: When Fenris learns he possesses magic, his life is forever changed. His friends support him, but can he cope with becoming his own greatest enemy? Salvation is just a mage away.

Fandom: Dragon Age (Dragon Agee II, Dragon Age: Inquisition) Title: Overthinking It Author: Starla-Nell (Princess_Nell) Pairing: Fenris/Dorian Pavus Rating: Explicit Word Count: 25,513 Summary: Fenris joins the Inquisition and meets Dorian. Somehow, they don’t kill each other. Wait, they’re friends? Wait they -? Oh. Oh, my.

Fandom: Dragon Age (Dragon Age II, Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age Origins: Awakening) Title: Paths Cross  Author: Starla-Nell (Princess_Nell)  Pairing: Alistair/Bethany Hawke Rating: Teen Word Count: 4,149 Summary: Written for the Prompt: Alistair/Bethany Would love fics about these two adorable people crossing paths! AUs welcome, fluff and sweetness strongly preferred. No non-con, please.

Fandom: Dragon Age (Dragon Age: Inquisition) Title: A Herald Named Desire Author: ushauz Pairing: Male Adaar/Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus Rating: Unrated Word Count: 360,894 Series: Part 1 of Tales of Desire (Words: 396,552 - Works: 3) Summary: In which ‘Adaar’ is totally not a desire demon from the Fade, because Haven is a camp filled with Templars. Also morals and mortals are both confusing, and he would really just like to go home now please.

Fandom: Harry Potter Title: Left of the Line  Author: JoWithTheFlow Pairing: None Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Word Count: 18,646 Summary: It started, as many things did, with Cedric. They had been stronger when they worked together, a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor, embodying the best traits of their house each and using them to fight and win against the spider in the maze. It had been the seed of an idea that bloomed in Harry’s fifth year—the Houses were stronger together. To survive, he needed not just bravery, but hard work, wisdom, and resourcefulness too.

It wasn’t just about him, either. They all needed each other. 

Fandom: Harry Potter Title: Forever, preferably Author: JoWithTheFlow Pairing: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Word Count: 67,690 Summary: There was another student here.

Tom recognized him vaguely—while transfer students were not necessarily uncommon due to the war, they were rare enough to at least make an impression. This particular transfer student was in his year, sorted into Ravenclaw after an impressively long hat stall. He looked like he might be descended from the Potter line, but he did not share the surname so his lineage was of no particular interest to Tom. Nothing about him was of particular interest to Tom, in fact, and yet here he stood, holding the book that Tom had come here to find.

It would be a good time to turn away. The Restricted Section was restricted for a reason—only books documenting extremely dangerous or extremely advanced magic were stored here.

Tom’s feet, however, suddenly felt as if they were made of lead. It wasn’t magic keeping him tied down, but something far more mysterious like curiosity or even fate. In any case, the delay was all it took for the Ravenclaw to lift his chin and meet Tom’s eyes.

This Ravenclaw, Tom realized, had eyes as blindingly green as the Killing Curse.

Fandom: Percy Jackson & Related Fandoms Title: Be Sure to Tip Your Waiter (For He’s On His Last Dime) Author: inkncoffee Pairing: None Rating: Teen Word Count: 4,515 Series: Part 1 of Three and a Half Stars (Words: 10,085 - Works: 2) Summary: Being a demigod doesn’t pay too well (or, you know, at all) so Percy gets a job at a local restaurant. When girls ask him to switch tables with them to escape getting hit on by creepy guys, he always agrees. He’s in for a bit of a surprise one night when he recognizes one of the creepy guys.

Fandom: Percy Jackson Title: Spare the Rod Author: GwendolynStacy Pairing: None Rating: Teen Word Count: 11,980 Summary: After the war against Kronos, Nico is cursed with obedience by Demeter. Unable to leave the camp or tell anybody about his dilemma, Nico’s only hope is for somebody to figure out what has happened. Too bad nobody at camp knows him well enough to tell that something’s wrong.

Fandom: Percy Jackson & Related Fandoms Title: if you need, come build your home in me Author: yrbeecharmer Pairing: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Word Count: 326,495 Series: Part 1 of so collect your scars and wear them well (Words: 344,991 - Works: 4) Summary: Even though the world keeps falling down around him, Will Solace can’t seem to help but keep growing up.

(A series rewrite starting with the events of Titan’s Curse)

[prynnehesters]

i am always surprised by stats and how people interact w pieces of media cuz based on larian's published stats, most ppl playing bg3 are most likely straight men as 50%+ people who have beat the game romanced shadowheart (and then i think it's (in order) karlach, lae'zel, gale, astarion, wyll, and finally minthara. i am not sure where to put halsin bcuz i would think more people romance him by himself than minthara, but he can be added onto 3/6 of the origin romances so ymmv). yet i think the most talked about character online is astarion based on his storyline, the actor's performance, and how one can detach him from the narrative as his only connection specifically to the plot of bg3 is that he's from baldur's gate. granted im always surprised about people talking about astarion bcuz he's severely mischaracterized by so many people. tbh im kind of sick of him. i love him dearly and i've used him a lot in my playthrus (he was a main party member for 5/6 of my playthrus) but like, i feel like people are really weird about him in that they're either obsessed with him or hate him bcuz he's flamboyant. but i guess i've heard some people who are really into astarion's ascension are really vocal, but i have yet to see it myself. also apparently there's a subsection of emperor defenders like...to each their own but like...im kind of surprised by that. like i get the dark fantasy of ascending astarion but like, emperor kind of weird lol. im not really a fan of him but he makes the game easier in the end game somewhat

i would assume most people's default main/end party is most likely shadowheart, gale and astarion bcuz those are most likely the first 3 companions you acquire. Maybe lae'zel instead of gale depending on your play style. I think my runs I've had my main party be the following (that I can remember):

tav, sh, gale, astarion (gale would be swapped out mostly w lae'zel)

tav, karlach, wyll, astarion

durge, laezel in act 1/minthara in act 2/3, shadowheart, astarion

tav, astarion, gale, whoever (i gave most people very weird builds and i think i ended w shadowheart in my party but i always had astarion and gale cuz i speced them weird)

(tactician) tav, shadowheart, gale, anyone but astarion (i ended w karlach in my party as a druid lol)

(honor) tav, shadowheart, gale, astarion

my current run i want my main party to be lae'zel, wyll and minthara. granted i haven't touched the game in 5 months and i dont desire to. but the two runs i still want to do are resist durge and an origin character (probably gale cuz he gets tara)

that's my 12 cents, goodnight!

[vampiresuns]

I said it in the tags of the original post before my additional reblog, but his storyline is excellent and the only reason he’s not making the numbers he should be making is because people are dismissive and racist towards black characters and actors/performers, specially when they’re dark skinned like both Wyll and Theo Solomon are.

I’m not saying you have to love him and he has to be your favourite character, I’m saying the double standard is showing.

people who don't like Wyll, how does it feel to be the weakest link when this man just:

Realised as soon as possible he had been tricked about Karlach and changed her mind about her, to the point of risking his own life and becoming what he thinks is the worst version of himself just to save her, because she is an underdog

Is kind, is funny and says dramatic things like "the Blade stands at the ready". if you like Gale, you don't get to use the excuse that speaking about oneself in third person is annoying btw

A character that clings to hope and fairytales in hopes he is good enough to the eyes of the people, because he thinks he was not good enough for his father given he gave up the life he had planned for him should score him so high up. SO HIGH UP

literally became a demon because he undertook a pact with a demon, thinking nothing too terrible could come out of it. King, the hubris. King, the dumbass???

Says things like "Gale slurped that thing like a horse with a carrot"

[scarfacemarston]

I wish this had more notes, because you're so right. Right, Wyll is adorkable. He loves children. He's kind and patient. He has a badass entrance. He and Cullen both have dance related anxities...........but Wyll really pulls out all the stops. Wyll sometimes tells lame jokes and tries to appear cool like Alistair does. He's loyal to a fault. He's willing to admit when he's wrong and does what he can to right his wrongs. Alistair and Wyll both have very complicated relationships with their fathers. He puts up with things that no one should have to put up. He has been abused, traumatized and manipulated.

They are far from the same character, just so people realize that's not what I'm trying to say, but they do fit the same trope of Prince Charming like OP said. The racism is so infuriating and such a shame. Wyll and his performance actor Theo Solomon deserve so much more.

Isn't it curious how for ages when it came to rpg with romances the most popular male romances where "the prince charming types" such as Alistar and Culen and yet when bg3 rolls around the most prince charming-type is suddenly the least popular and suddenly everyone claims that prince-like charachters are boring.

Gee I wonder what could've caused that sudden change in fandom trends 🤔🤔🤔🤔

And before you say anything, bg3 and dragon age have like 88% fandom population overlap