#but that means they can help each other heal! as long as gale doesn't become a god asjkfghdsf

[riddlerosehearts]

Okay now I've come to ask you about Elenion! I want to know everything!!! What about them has grown and changed? Are they still a bard with a bit of stage fright? Did their origin story change at all? How's Gale? Are you hoping for anything specific from Act 3? (You don't have to answer all those questions, just giving some prompts 😊) I'm pumped that you're loving the game!!!

ooh okay, well first of all i hope the way that i always switch between using he/him and they/them pronouns for elenion isn't confusing. i actually use the mirror to swap them in-game sometimes too and i really love that that's a thing they let you do. oh and speaking of using the mirror, back when i first started playing i shared with you some screenshots of what he looked like but since then i ended up changing to a slightly different face preset from a mod i had installed--he basically just has freckles and shorter/smaller ears now, but that fits much better than what i started with.

also, while i was waiting to be able to replace my hard drive i actually filled out a whole character sheet i found on here just for the fun of it and was planning to post it later! maybe i'll also write out a character description along with it, so i can reference that if i need to.

anyway, gonna put the rest of this under a cut just in case it gets lengthy! (assuming the cut shows up in the correct place, anyway. i had this reply saved as a draft and tumblr keeps glitching and messing things up whenever i save the draft.)

so back when i first started playing, i had come up with a basic idea for what kind of character i wanted to make but a lot of it was sort of vague. and then as i played through act 1 i ended up coming up with different ideas that i preferred and decided to stick with. i didn't really change too much about elenion's personality! i think i told you before that they've always wanted to live up to the legacy of their father who was himself a renowned bard but they're very anxious and insecure, and that they're very reserved but also friendly and good at putting on a confident facade. that's all still true. however, i think i also told you that they were pretty normal and didn't have a traumatic backstory and that their father died after they moved away from home… well, i did change that a bit! i decided that their father actually died like 15 years ago when they were still a teenager, in an accident that they have always believed was their fault, and there was no way for them to save him or bring him back--so that's why they've continued to act the way they do for so long, and also why they very infrequently visit baldur's gate and are anxious about returning. they gradually distanced themself from their home and from their mother out of guilt and haven't visited in years at this point, always using their work and their travels as an excuse, so now having to be back in the city means having to face that.

something else that's important is that before getting abducted by mindflayers elenion would basically do a lot of historical and anthropological research in whatever places he visited as a way to gain inspiration for his writing, and he actually really prefers just doing research and putting on smaller performances over trying to be the glamorous bard that his father was, but before ending up on this crazy journey and becoming more comfortable with opening up to gale and the other companions he would've never admitted that to anyone including himself. right now he still plans to just keep doing what he's been doing after all this is over, but maybe he'll end up accepting that it is not working, isn't making him happy, and probably isn't how his father would've wanted him to spend his life. all of this is still a fairly simple story, but hey, sometimes simplicity works best!

gale is literally so sweet and is such a gentleman and i can't believe there are people who hate him. something i did in the game not too long ago was find tara on a rooftop eating pigeons and after she left gale was like "oh by the way, i was thinking about introducing you two over a homecooked meal in my super cool tower that has a really nice kitchen and a wine cellar, if you would like that!" …uh, hello, who WOULDN'T afkjghdsfs. i actually had him in my party during the big battle at the mind flayer colony and he very nearly tried to blow himself up, but elenion talked him out of it and now he seems like he really does want to live, so obviously i'm glad about that… only now he constantly talks about wanting to find this book about the netherese crown and try to use its power, which is concerning and i really hope i don't somehow accidentally convince him to become a god omg. i honestly can't really think of anything specific that i'm wanting to see in act 3, i'm just excited to see what happens and how everybody's stories end! though i know gale has at least one more really sweet romance scene coming up in act 3 because i've seen gifs of it, so i guess i can say i'm looking forward to getting to see it for myself. i also really want to know what's going to happen with lae'zel and the githyanki egg we found since in my game she's been carrying it around and seems pretty attached to it, like are we actually going to come across a more accepting creche to drop it off at, or is she just going to end up becoming a mother, or…?? but as for the main plot i pretty much have no idea what to expect!!

[whomuses]

The Future I Didn't Know I Had || Post Game

Hello! Just a quick writeup on the post game universe and how it all plays out. I'm desperate to write stuff from this world, this is where Mirabeli comes into play, but of course I'm still writing during-game stuff too. I thought I'd get a rough timeline down here. Trigger warnings apply for pregnancy, ptsd/c-ptsd, nightmares, panic attacks, standard durge stuff from my blog lol.

On the morning after the brain fight, Caedes sleeps through for the first time he can ever remember. Exhaustion, but free from the urge and the tadpole, he gives in to that deep sleep and wakes feeling rested for the first time in a very, very long time. Gale is there, of course; grateful, and kind, and still in love.

It's there that Gale proposes, of course, and Caedes says yes… before knowing there's something else he has to tell Gale. He takes Gale's hand, and tells him, softly, that Caedes is pretty sure that he's pregnant. Gale has to sit down to process this; bit of a whiplash. Caedes says they can take certain herbs, make sure it doesn't develop any further, babbles about the low likelihood of it surviving anyway. Gale silences them with a kiss; and says that it's good, and he's happy, and why not? Why not have a family?

(He later realises this means Caedes fought the elder brain whilst pregnant, and when he finds out that Caedes had an inkling when he fucking died at the Bhaal Temple, he's somewhat mad about that! But they figure it out.)

The initial plan is to elope. They've barely known each other a month, but caught up in the chaos and the love and the relief and that immense rush from surviving certain death and saving the world, they slip away to head to Waterdeep, with Gale sending a missive ahead that he's found a partner and they look to marry. This … is somewhat of a mistake, perhaps.

Gale's family is startled when he comes in with a dragonborn, especially one as terrifying and masc looking as Caedes, but they quickly warm to him and adopt him essentially. Unfortunately, the idea of a tiny ceremony is being pushed back and pushed back as more and more is added to it. They get engagement rings made in Waterdeep. Caedes feels endlessly guilty about the friends that have split up, about Astarion being left in the shadows on that dock, about… everything.

Gale quickly finds himself offered a position at Blackstaff Academy; something he'd always turned down before, now, he accepts. With the help of Tara and some staff, they get the tower cleaned up, and Caedes moves in… and at first, it's fantastic. So many magical books to read, access to a kitchen, Gale's family has a fair amount of money even with what he was forced to splurge on magical artefacts in the past to stabilise the orb; they have some of what they collected on their adventures but Astarion had been carrying the main coinpurse when they'd split up… Caedes doesn't begrudge him it.

The knock on effects are strong, though. The urge is gone, yes; his brain is free of illithid. But most nights Caedes wakes screaming. He insists on putting together a second bedroom. The nights where he's so terrified that he'll wake up and have hurt Gale, he sleeps in there, instead; vaguely aware of Tara lounging in the doorway. Things only get worse as the pregnancy progresses. They manage to find a dragonborn doula, and she rapidly becomes the only person he sees beyond Gale and Tara.

The time spent at Gale's tower starts to become distorted. He tries writing, and finds that there is no mind for it; quickly becomes bored of reading. For some time, he practiced magic, but being such a powerful sorcerer already, Caedes was aware that most of what he knew was destruction. The hum of a healing spell spiralled him into a vicious flashback, so he never touched that book again. Gale spent most of the day out of the building, of course, teaching; things were easier when he was home.

Gale was noticing, of course, that Caedes was quiet and distant. But he missed the worst of it - the way that his brain would just… check out, leaving the dragonborn sat in a chair for hours, staring blankly at the wall. Over time, the night terrors have gotten easier; the panic attacks slightly less intense. But the dissociation is still there. The suggestion of going back to battle, even the idea, would send Caedes into a spiral.

Unfortunately, Gale's way of helping was to… study. Try to throw himself into the books, reading up about dragonborn, and thinking that a lot of it was fear of the pregnancy. Because that was most definitely there - Caedes, some nights curled into Gale's side, whispering about his fears - that the urge would take over. That he'd destroy the egg whilst still inside him, or crush it when it was laid, or if it made it to hatching that he would go wild and kill the baby… he was terrified. No matter the wards, or the promises, the fear remained.

The party helps a lot, weirdly. Caedes almost doesn't go until Gale persuades him to at least stay for a little while. The dissociation is bad - once everyone else is over the fact that Caedes was pregnant, could get pregnant, was essentially due, and had been so during their major fights - they start to notice just how checked out he is. That their strong, charismatic leader is just… barely present. He starts to liven up a little towards the end of the night, but when Withers mentions the fact they might be called on again, he has a panic attack so severe that Gale says their goodnights and ushers him back through the portal.

They stay up talking for most of the night, Caedes revealing just how bad his days have gotten. Gale promises to get help; there has to be someone in the city who will be able to pull Caedes out of it…

Unfortunately, that gets slightly put on hold - because two days after the party, Caedes goes into labour.

The doula is called in and they manage, at the tower, to lay two eggs; the doula's suspicions confirmed. The first is perfect - they come out fairly soft shelled, to help with the laying, but it hardens up quickly into that perfect sheen, pinky-blue across a pale cream. The second is smaller, clearly weaker, and the doula encourages them to not get too attached to either - just in case.

With Gale and her's assistance, they are fairly prepared; the eggs require a constant warmth and occasional turning or movement, so they've made a special crib/cradle thing near the bed with an enchantment on it. The doula encourages them to keep the eggs in the bed between them the first night; about the size of a newborn human infant, once their shells have hardened they're very tough, and the warmth from the parents means they're more likely to hatch.

Caedes refuses to stay in the same room as them and goes off to his spare room, leaving Gale worries and a little crushed. They do not come out of the warming crib for a few days; whilst Gale and Tara do their best to take care of Caedes as he recovers from the birth. Dragonborn thankfully tend to spring back quickly and recover fast. The anxiety, though, is worse now. Less checking out; more hovering cautiously, looking at the eggs, refusing to be alone with them when he spends time near them. Just in case.

He doesn't pick up on how exhausted Gale is, at first. Long nights in the study after long days at work. He purchases a double baby sling thing, a padded baby holder, and takes the eggs with him to the study on occasion, keeping them close to the warmth of his body whilst he works; because if Caedes isn't going to do it, then someone must. It takes a lot of persuasion; he finally finds someone to sit down and talk to Caedes about the trauma of what happened, but the first few people he talks to, Caedes drives away.

It's Halsin, in the end. They take a trip to go see him and how everything is coming back together in the once shadow-touched lands. Getting out of the tower helps; them carrying an egg each in the magically-supported baby slings. He speaks quietly to Caedes for hours, and whilst Gale would never have asked him to take that burden, it… clearly helps. They set up a regular letter exchange and make a point to visit regularly - which also helps with the fact Halsin is clearly so good with kids, and parenting advice.

It becomes clear that one of the eggs is not developing as well as the other. Gale had named both, despite Caedes trying to convince him not to. Then - Mirabeli hatched. Dragonborn babies are a bit different to human ones, and skip the milk phase entirely (idk if this lines up with dnd but fuck it I ball) and hatch with very soft scales and no subtleties, so she comes out entirely white and at this stage is they/them, because dragonborn pick their genders when they get older. Although of course a lot of folks just perceive dragonborn as female when they're young, so Mirabeli most likely gets she/her'd a lot even as a youngling. The first few days are not dissimilar to with the eggs, only this time they have a squalling baby who desperately wants both of their parents. The default is for a parent to chew up soft meat and then feed it to the baby like a bird, but Gale can't do that and Caedes is too scared to get close. The doula helps them with a recipe that can be blended, something usually used for orphan eggs.

It takes a few days, but Gale manages to convince Caedes to actually hold her. They love her so, so intensely it nearly blows Caedes away, the way he feels over this tiny, helpless thing that they made. After that point, and talking to Halsin regularly, he's a lot better than he was. But there are some days, especially when Mirabeli is able to talk and walk around, that Gale (daddy) has to keep her away from Caedes ; not because he's dangerous, but because he's slipped back to that hollow shell. When the panic attacks or the apathy or the other horrors take over his mind again.

It's not always that way around, of course - Gale suffered too. His nightmares run more down the path of the orb. But he knows how to be a person, he knows how to exist - Caedes has to learn how to be… someone. Not a monster, not a bhaalspawn, not the hero of Baldur's Gate, just… a person, a parent, a dragonborn.