#but jaheira was right THERE

[nucleqr]

so, some mistakes were made

[meanbossart]

Hi, thank you for the question, I hope this clears things up.

[thepunchingbag]

right in the motherfucking feels

[tadpole-apocalypse]

Sketch page dump!

[krembruleed]

my three girlfriends.

And yes, they smoke weed.

[teiasviago]

BALDUR’S GATE 3 CHALLENGE 1/3 Camp Locations: Wilderness

[isobelthormm]

OK I SAW SOMEONE ON YOUTUBE POST THIS POLL AND WAS A BIT DUMBFOUNDED AT THE RESULTS ON IT SO IM STEALING IT AND POSTING IT HERE.

(EDIT- ASSUME EVERYONE HERE IS LV 12 AS THEIR BASE GAME CLASS- NO MULTICLASSING OR RESPECS)

[blackjackkent]

Prompt fill for @astreamofstars from this ask meme: Lord Huron Lyric Prompts

Khalid (and Jaheira) - "watch for a sign in the midnight sky"

My first attempt at proper writing of Khalid! Deeply enjoyed this and I hope you do too. :D

-----

Khalid fidgets aimlessly with one sleeve of his armor, trying in vain to get the leather greaves to settle more comfortably in place. It is all new equipment, purchased out of his scant funds on his arrival in Baldur's Gate, and it has not yet had time to become fully broken in. 

Had he been able to bring his amlak armor from home, perhaps he would feel more comfortable now. Miserable though he was in Calimport's city guard, his armor at least had been very good, carefully polished and molded to his body from months of hard use. But it has been left behind, along with everything else about his old life - the corruption of his superior officers on the one hand and the disinterested cruelty of his father and half-brothers on the other. 

So here he is, for better or for worse - half a world away in ill-fitting armor, chasing rumors and wild hope. He has heard the tales of an institution where his skills would go to better use, a group of warriors who fight not for power and coin but for balance. Perhaps the Harpers will prove to be the true family he has been searching for.

The recruiter he spoke to - a furtive, laconic fellow with a hand always on his dagger - said Khalid measured well in conversation, but that the only real test of a new Harper was action. “Wait tonight in the square in Norchapel,” he had said with the ghost of a smile. “I will have some of my people find you near midnight. Identify yourself to them, and they will have a task for you. Prove true in that business and there may be a place for you among us.”

It's a cold night. The Norchapel square is empty and lit only by the ominous flickering light of the single streetlamp under which Khalid is waiting. Privately he is starting to wonder if this is part of the test - to hold to his patience in spite of the chill and silence - and if the task that lies ahead could in truth just as easily be done in daylight. But nevertheless he waits, just as instructed, as the clock in his mind slowly ticks from midnight on towards one o'clock. 

“Watch for a sign in the midnight sky,” growls a voice almost at his elbow, making him jump. He hadn't heard anyone approach. 

Then he steadies himself, swallows nervously, and gives the counter-phrase without turning around. “F-f-for by the m-moon's light, we unearth all s-secrets,” he says earnestly. 

His new conversational partner emerges out of the shadows and into the light of the streetlamp where Khalid can see him. He's a big, bulky human with dark skin and hair, broad and muscular, which makes it all the more impressive how silently he moves, his feet rolling heel to toe across the cobblestones.

On his left is a brass dragonborn with a pair of lethal-looking katanas and an incongruous cocksure grin. On his right is a young half-elven woman, about Khalid's own age, with a quarterstaff in one hand and an expression as unreadable as the stone wall behind her. All three of them wear the subtle silver pin of the Harpers at the fastening of their cloaks. 

“By the moon's light indeed,” the human says pleasantly, reaching out a hand for Khalid to shake. “You'll be our new recruit, then? Khalid yn Munir?”

Khalid hesitates as he releases the handshake. “J-j-just Khalid,” he finally says quietly. 

“As you wish,” the Harper agrees. He doesn't seem surprised; Khalid is no doubt not the first initiate to be leaving something behind. “My name is Vartan. This is Kambas and Jaheira,” he explains, gesturing at each of his companions in turn. “We are to accompany you on a test of your skill and commitment. Hold true and the Harpers shall welcome you.”

“Y-y-yes,” Khalid says earnestly. “I am ready t-to assist in any way I c-c-can.” 

He gets rather stuck on the last word and Kambas laughs softly, a rumbling noise like an avalanche. “Twitchy little thing, isn't he,” the dragonborn says. 

As mockings go, it’s far less malicious than the ones Khalid is used to; indeed, the Harper doesn’t seem to be saying it with cruelty. It’s just an observation, as if he was commenting about the weather. Khalid is already shrugging it off automatically - but to his surprise, the half-elf, Jaheira, stirs suddenly. She’s been watching Khalid in silence with deep, appraising intensity, but now nudges her companion with the butt of her staff.

“Do not be unkind, Kambas,” she says sharply.

The dragonborn’s grin widens and he lifts his hands defensively. “Just messin’ around, Jay,” he says with an air of affable mischief.

“Choose your targets with more care,” she says firmly, “and while you are at it, do not call me that.” She rolls her eyes and catches Khalid’s gaze; a subtle smile twitches her lips up at the corners. “You see you should not take it personally; he is a little shit to us all in equality.”

“So is maintained the balance,” Vartan intones, and Kambas laughs again.

Khalid feels himself start to relax, and smiles back at Jaheira. “I th-thank you for the s-s-support,” he murmurs.

For just a moment - almost as if in spite of herself - her smile settles into something less sardonic and more genuine, and he finds himself struck to inner stillness by the way it lights her eyes. She is a few years his senior and her face already bears the marks of whatever violence in which the Harpers have employed her, but the smile does a great deal to soften it, to show an edge of kindness beneath the cool front. She looks at him and seems pleased with what she sees.

After so many years flanked by various flavors of cruelty, he finds himself utterly captivated by that soft edge, that approval. He stares back at her and feels heat climb up his neck. His tongue, already given to betraying him, feels heavy as lead in his mouth and in that moment he’s not sure he could speak at all.

Then it’s gone. The moment passes; her eyes hood over again and she looks away from him towards Vartan. “Well. Shall we be about it, then?” she asks briskly. “Let us see what our new Harper can do.”

[nitw]

why do i never see jaheira or minsc included in bg3 companions art :( maybe some people don't know minsc exists let alone that he's a party member but NO JAHEIRA? you include both halsin and minthara but WHERE'S MY FUNKY GRANDMA???????

[lunian]

falling to realization (which I shouldn't be surprised about tbh) that I really just ship Gale with any companion at this point

[sky-kiss]

Raphael/Named Durge: Taste

Raphael tastes of smoke and the coming storm when frustrated. 

In the worst of his moods, his flavor shifts, mirroring a combination of blood and hellfire. The air around him boils, molecules threatening to tear apart, ignite, snap. Joi fears and loves him in such moments—loves him because the chaos is hers, the bloodlust is hers, roiling beneath the surface of his skin as he resists. And the fear is not so bad, not the mortal fear they have both moved beyond. It's a godly thing, as befits his (their) station. It is reverence. 

In those moments, Raphael will pace the length of his chambers, muttering in Infernal, grip iron-tight on his control, nose screwed up in an all too familiar sneer. She finds him beautiful. 

He'll dismiss her from his company if she asks what he needs. The last time, her banishment lasted for the better part of a decade. A drop in the bucket of their lifespans, but still unpleasant. 

And the game shifts and becomes about anticipating him. When he tastes of blood, it's best to pay tribute in kind; he will welcome a new toy in the dungeon or one of his enemies placed at his feet. 

He's ash when he's melancholy, and…

…and Raphael tastes like brandy when he's happy.

Not whiskey—one might expect whisky, rich and tinged with a hint of iodine, but brandy.  He borders on saccharinely sweet, too much fruit (cherry) on the nose, and something syrupy lingering on the palette. Haarlep calls it a cheap taste, a two-copper pour, and Joi laughs. Objectively, it's true. 

But the drink reminds her of summers on the coast, stifling evenings where the humidity hung so thick it made breathing a chore. Kissing him when he's in such a mood does not feel so dissimilar. She guards these moments zealously. 

Joi pulls him close, cataloging his rumbling groan and the way he leans into her touch when her fingers card through his hair. Tonight, he comes to her eagerly, smirking, swaggering, and deliciously mortal. Less like her Duke and more like the ambitious princeling he'd been eons prior.

…tonight, Raphael tastes of brandy. 

[bg3smash-or-pass]

[tytoalbatross]

Ranking BG3 Companions Based On Whether I Think They Give Good Advice

1. Halsin

in all honesty, i would put halsin and jaheira tied for first place because it really depends on the way you like advice being given to you. halsin will first drag you outside on a nice hiking trail for The Talk, and depending on whether or not you like the outdoors will greatly impact his placement (at least compared to the other first-place). but his advice is extremely good ! he'll walk you through whatever you're going through (as well as the not-so-well-beaten path in the Woods) and give you ideas for how to approach it based on your personal experience. even if you didn't want to go on the walk and was upset about being dragged on a walk, you'll be even more angry after the walk that it actually kinda worked. 10/10

2. Jaheira

on the other hand, if you want (very good) advice being given to you closer to home, jaheira is undoubtedly your best bet. both she and halsin have the age and the life experience to help you, and she will especially be incredible at being both considerate of your side of things while also giving you brutal honesty whenever necessary. the only downside i can think of is that the whole thing will feel like you're being sat down and being given "a chat" by your usually very cool aunt. another 10/10 though

3. Wyll

what wyll ravenguard doesn't have in years he has in his wide range of experiences and whatever the faerûn equivalent is of binge reading sappy reddit stories. he's Very easy to talk to and even if he doesn't know exactly what to say to you after, he'll definitely sound like he knows what he's talking about. gives pretty general, safe advice and knows the ins and outs of a healthy relationship! however, wyll's advice will lack some credibility because he just. does not follow his own advice. especially regarding family problems

4. Gale

i'd like to mention that i'm rating these characters PURELY on advice. i'm not factoring comfort into the rankings whatsoever. however, if you're looking for comfort AND advice, gale might be decidedly awkward about the former depending on your relationship. which is understandable, considering he barely had any human interactions for a whole a year. no, tara does not count. for advice, gale will listen very intently to your entire problem, and you can see the gears turning in his head. "what" you ask. "well, i can't help but think--" and he just goes ahead and posits an entire gameplan to you. a very pragmatic and thorough plan, yes, but it may not actually be viable for you (pretty hit or miss)

5. Minsc

do i mean minsc or minsc and boo? i couldnt decide on a reliable ranking with boo involved, so this is assuming you caught minsc on the rare occasion that he's without boo. maybe he's taking a nap. minsc almost always suggests you go punch a wall about it. or punch the cause of your problems. it's not the best advice, but you might actually feel better after punching a wall. or punching the cause of your problems. and if he does give you specific advice based on your problem, it can either be surprisingly wise or a good blueprint of what not to do. win-win

6. Shadowheart

all of you people who immediately place shadowheart as the "mom friend" or caretaker of the group simply because she is a cleric and a woman; i am hitting you very hard on the head with a steel bat. shadowheart is unfortunately not socialized beyond her interactions with other sharrans (not an accurate representation of the average group of people), and depending on when in her character arc you ask her for advice, she may not even care to help you. even if she could. however, assuming she is trying to give you advice, she would do her very best to at least talk through the issue with you and suggest some. possibly questionable things. at the end of the conversation it just kinda feels like the blind leading the blind

7. Karlach

karlach is only so low on the list because i think she just wouldn't try to give you advice, at least not in any definitive way. she'd first and foremost trust whatever decision you'll make for yourself (even pre-emptively), and her first priority would be comfort. she'll do her damnedest to give you a hug (which depends on the status of her heart), and she will also suggest punching things. and she will join you ! you solved nothing but you do feel much better at least

8. Astarion

whether astarion even makes an attempt at giving you advice depends entirely on how much he cares about you. if he barely registers your existence, he'll actually try to tell you to do something, but it's godawful advice. closer to a shitty one-liner. if he does care about you though, his "advice" is actually more outlandish and ridiculous. regardless of whether there's another person involved, "have you considered just killing the guy?" and you stare at him like he just grew another head. but hey, you're not upset anymore! he might even be trying to get you to laugh and gape at him because "hey no normal fucking person does that" "but it would work?" etc. and you're even surprised into laughing because what the fuck. astarion will not give you good advice but, like karlach, you will feel at least a little better than you did before the conversation

9. Lae'zel

it even baffles lae'zel that you'd go to her for advice. you trot up to her tent at camp, with everyone else above fully ready and available, asking her for advice. "bold choice." then she proceeds to give you the most brutal, does-not-apply-to-non-gith advice you've ever heard in your life. is she trying? probably. is she used to giving advice beyond simply speaking her mind? not at all. if you're looking for her specific brand of "advice" or you're in the market for combat pointers, you might get something out of the conversation, but otherwise the whole thing just leaves you concerned about how gith society works.

[lae-zels]

Is it your Tav/Durge or does another character feel like they're actually leading the group? If so which one? Not counting playing as origin characters. Feel free to elaborate in the replies/tags (I will read them).

[violadesdragons]

Warmth

[agoldengalaxy]

since it seems I’m one of like 3 people that like minsc/jaheira, let me see if I can recruit more to my cause:

- while he was trapped in stone, jaheira visited him all the time, openly weeping and speaking to him

- even while under the tadpole’s control, minsc only listened to “jaheira”

- when minsc thought “jaheira” died, he was inconsolably angry

- jaheira was willing to risk EVERYTHING to get minsc back. nothing mattered to her more. she threatened the emperor - and the rest of your party for that matter - and screamed “help my friend!”

- when jaheira talked about how she had to leave him behind, she explained it was the logical thing to do…but she said she hated herself for it because minsc never would have left her, ever

- minsc referred to her as his wychlaran - a wise woman of rasheman, bonded to a berserker bodyguard for life. there is no higher title or deeper bond in all of rashemaar custom

- jaheira disagreed with this, to which he said “the title matters not. only this: when minsc does as minsc does, and charges in to make a mess, jaheira does as jaheira does, and saves us all anyway”

- minsc knows her children and they know him

- jaheira smiles the most around him

- they love each other