#caden of candlekeep

[blackjackkent]

Jaheira rubs a cloth from her pack slowly along the sleek blade of one of her scimitars and examines its edge with an appraising eye. For a little while she pretends to ignore the small shape creeping around the edge of the fire towards her, but eventually Boo is sitting almost at her knee and she gives the hamster a sidelong glance.

"What is it then, small one?" she says dryly, the pale green pulse of an animal speech spell flaring around her body.

Boo perches up on his back legs and peers up at her with that beady, unreadable stare. Jaheira looks back thoughtfully, raising one eyebrow.

She reflects, not for the first time, that for all that Minsc often seems mad, it is hard to ignore that there is something about the little beast that is more than bestial. The little dark eyes shine with intelligence, and he is the only creature she has ever attempted to speak to with aid of magic that has deliberately not deigned to speak back.

And it is no different today. Boo ignores the spell and simply squeaks once, loudly, then turns and looks back across the fire towards the bedrolls of the camp. Jaheira follows his gaze, and has to resist the urge to smile. Minsc is peering around the edge of one of the tents with an air of stealth that would be more appropriate if he were about half the size that he is.

She has not spoken to him since their argument when they first arrived back from the sewers, and though Boo offers no words, the message is clear. You have grieved him. Will you not clear the air?

"He does not need to hide," she tells Boo softly. "You may tell him so."

Boo squeaks again and scurries off into the shadows.

She returns to the care of her weapons and does not look up when she hears the Rashemaar's heavy footfalls at her side.

"May Minsc sit?" he rumbles.

She smiles slightly. "You feel you must ask permission?"

He drops down at her side and stares into the slowly dying flames. A silence stretches for a few moments before he says haltingly, "I still do not understand all of your anger, Jaheira. But if Minsc has given offense, then he shall not rest until the offense is eased." A pause. "Minsc has lost too many witches. He does not want to lose you."

Jaheira draws a slow breath, lets it out heavily. "You have not lost me, Minsc," she says quietly. "It was I who almost lost you." She frowns. "And I have also lost too much to suffer that lightly."

Minsc looks at her sideways. "But you will not be my Wychlaran," he says. It is not a question, just a flat, tired statement of fact.

She sighs. "Minsc... do you think I did not listen when you spoke to Dynaheir, to Aerie? It was a bond of trust, entered into willingly by both sides. You cannot claim me in such a bond without my knowledge." A pause. "If you wished a place at my side, you should have asked me. Not claimed space within me like a conqueror."

He considers that in silence. "Jaheira, as always, speaks more wisely than Minsc can even think," he agrees after a little while. His mouth draws into a tight line. Then, in a very low voice, he adds, "Minsc has been afraid."

At that, she does lift her head away from her attention on the blades and looks at him directly for the first time. She knows Minsc well enough to know that this is an admission he would make to no one else.

"So many things have changed, Jaheira. I do not remember my time as a stone, for to Minsc it passed like lightning, like a blink - something and then nothing, and then something again but with more itching. Itching and loneliness. Had I a witch she would have soothed both. But I had none... Dynaheir was dead many a long year, and Aerie so far away that Minsc might never see her again..."

She nods slowly. She still remembers the keen, biting emptiness in her chest in the days after Khalid's death - the knowledge that she had been hurt beyond measure and that the one who would have eased the pain was beyond her reach. "You had only me."

"Yes," he answers, and a little more energy comes back into his voice. "And it seemed to Minsc that you must be my new witch, for you were the only one I trusted so, and a Rashemaar without his witch is like Boo without a bit of grain - quite empty." A pause. "Minsc forgot that for Minsc to have a witch, the witch must also have Minsc."

Jaheira smiles slightly and reaches over to rest a hand lightly on his knee. "I will not call myself Wychlaran - but you have me at your side, no matter the name, Minsc," she says quietly. "I did not travel yet again through the Baldurian sewer muck simply to toss you away."

His shoulders relax a little and she can see the slight curve of his lips back into his more accustomed smile. "Good. Minsc is glad to hear it," he says quietly.

For a little while, they sit in companionable silence, watching as the flames slowly drift lower and lower. Boo crawls back out of the shadows, dragging a carrot from the camp supply sack larger than he is; settling between them, he begins to gnaw contentedly on his prize. Jaheira begins to feel some of the tension that has been her constant companion for so many months beginning to bleed away. So much danger still lies ahead... but her friend, at least, is safe again, and that makes such a tremendous difference. He is not one of those she has lost, not yet.

"So," Minsc says abruptly after a little while. "This new monk you travel with. Hector. Tell me of him."

Jaheira stirs, jarred loose from reverie, and has to take a moment to collect her thoughts enough to answer. "A good man, I think," she says slowly after a little while. "He has seen as much in a few months as we did in all our time in Amn, and still stands as straight as he did the day I met him."

Minsc nods. "Minsc sees Rasaad in him," he says gravely.

Jaheira says nothing for a moment. Then she nods. "He has much the same temperament. He says little and sees much. Even when we were closest, Rasaad often said little of what was in his heart, and I think Hector also holds much he does not reveal."

"And he is not quick to catch a joke," Minsc points out with a sudden broad grin. "He said to Minsc that the bond of a Wychlaran sounded only like friendship. At that Minsc laughed, for such a thing should be laughed at, and said that by such a thought, the whole camp is full of my Wychlarans! But the monk did not laugh in turn; Minsc is not sure he saw the jest."

Jaheira grins crookedly. "Perhaps he did not. Certainly that was also a failing in Rasaad at times; perhaps Selunites are not trained in the art of humor." A long pause. "But I like him, Minsc. He is brave in spite of great fear - and good reason for it. He loves fiercely, friend and lover alike. He kills doppelgangers with only his fists. And there are shades of Caden in him, too; I think he would be kind even though it killed him."

Minsc squares his shoulders stoutly. "Then Minsc and Boo shall see to it that it does not kill him, for they shall kick the butts of all by his side." Boo lifts his head, his cheeks fat with a great mouthful of carrot, and gives a muffled squeak.

Jaheira chuckles. "He is in good hands indeed, then."

"Hands and paws," Minsc amends with a wide grin.

"Of course," she says, and grins back. "How could I forget?"

[blackjackkent]

4, 6, 11 for caden :'D

(OC Codex Prompts) for Caden of Candlekeep!

4. a letter from your OC to their love interest

Aerie, I am pleased to say I'll be home very soon. The ceremonies are all complete, and I have been promised transport home by teleportation circle by none other than Elminster. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to see him; he was, after all, a friend of Gorion's. But somehow he always manages to seem a bit as if he has appeared out of thin air, no matter where I happen to encounter him. I think you were right to stay home with Quayle. While one day I would like to show you Baldur's Gate, I imagine it will still be standing in a few years' time when he is old enough to travel more happily. And you did not know Gorion as I did, so there would be little thrill for you in watching the christening of what I must admit to be a terribly dull-looking mausoleum the city has erected in his honor. But I am glad I came to see it; after all these years I do still miss him deeply - not to mention owe him my life. It was good to see a few familiar faces here as well. Tothtoril and a few others from Candlekeep that I've told you of - and Jaheira, and Rasaad who came with her. And Imoen, of course, who seems very much as she always does; I swear the years have not dampened her spirit one bit. She means to come and stay with us next month, if you are feeling up to the company. All in all it has been a good visit. Nevertheless - I think of you at least once every passing moment, and will be glad to come home again to you and our son. I love you both very dearly, my heart; be well until I can hold you again. Caden

6. someone describing a time your OC helped them

C-Caden was like that, you know? You only had t-to ask, really, and he would do his b-best for you. It was a t-type of spider's silk that I wanted. Jaheira had taught me long ago the best way t-to turn it into thread, and to weave it... It astonishes me still, even now, that she t-took the time to teach me; I knew s-so very little of the world outside the city at first. So I wanted t-to show her that I remembered... Caden, b-bless him, took t-to the idea like lightning. Within two d-days he had found the nest of a giant spider, and together we t-t-took it down. A grotesque sort of b-battle, not one I enjoyed... but the prize, very worth it. When I p-presented the necklace to Jaheira later, when she liked it - I think C-Caden was nearly as pleased as I was. Yes, he-he-he was like that. He liked t-to see people smile.

11. your OC’s description of their game’s events

Gods. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - if fate comes calling again, it can keep walking on by. I'm done with saving the world. Twice was more than enough. Or three times? Bah - depends how you count it. Three, I suppose - Sarevok, Argent, and Amelyssan... not to mention Irenicus. Does he count? Really, he didn't get so far as threatening the whole world, at least not in a way that it noticed. If he'd been successful... well, who knows. Call it four, I guess. Why not? Four times I've saved the world, and frankly not one of them have been easy. I lost my home, I lost my father, I lost more than one friend, and watched those that survived lose things of their own. I lost far more innocence than most people ever even have to begin with. I lost... a lot of things far too fundamental to talk about with a light heart. So yeah. I'm finished. If fate comes calling, you can tell it that I'm living quiet and happy in Faenya-Dail, and that's where I'm bloody well staying.

[blackjackkent]

@astreamofstars: I like the little glimses of Caden that have popped up in your fics. I like the idea of that being the OG gang - and the BG3 gang are the newcomers, without all the history, but Jaheira still feels familiarities all the same. blackjackkent: I've def enjoyed indulging myself with all the flashbacks in her moments with Rakha, hehe blackjackkent: lots of parallels/contrasts. Rakha is definitely a much scarier Bhaalspawn than Caden was D: blackjackkent: (or Imoen) astreamofstars: Poor Imoen blackjackkent: yeah :( astreamofstars: I'd love to see him meet Rakha. blackjackkent: ooo blackjackkent: yeah that'd be interesting :O blackjackkent: my inclination is to say it'd be post game but if she ends up with tentacles maybe I'll end up writing a flashback where he showed up in Act 3 at some point XD astreamofstars: I wonder if Jaheira is secretly firing off letters at this point. Like "right, so ... did you at any point secretly murder a bard and not mention it?" blackjackkent: I just snorted out loud. blackjackkent: Caden> [peering at letter] Did I what? blackjackkent: lmao blackjackkent: "If this is about something happening to Volo, I had nothing to do with it. Unfortunately." astreamofstars: "What exactly might have possessed YOU to snort a bunch of weird tadpoles? Is that a Bhaalspawn thing, or is she just weird?" blackjackkent: "...Is this a new drug in the Gate? You're going to have to be more specific" astreamofstars: 😆 blackjackkent: to aerie> I'm glad to hear from her bc she went very quiet after she said she was going after Minsc, but also wtf is she talking about astreamofstars: "Clearly she found him and too much concentrated exposure to Minsc has sent her loopy" blackjackkent: lololololol

[blackjackkent]

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

Jaheira - "do you know what loneliness does to a man"

As I'm doing more often these days - didn't use the exact quote but let it inspire me and then modified a little to fit the story. Set about ten years pre-BG3. Caden is my Bhaalspawn PC from BG1/BG2. Hope you enjoy! c:

-----

Caden’s eyes drift half-open drowsily and he stares up at the ceiling of the guest room of Elerrathin’s Home. At first he’s not sure what woke him - perhaps one of Jaheira’s small horde of adopted children causing chaos downstairs - but then he hears it. A muted, rhythmic, slightly atonal whistling coming from the roof.

“D’you hear that?” he mumbles. Aerie, still sleeping peacefully at his side, doesn’t answer. After a moment’s hesitation, he gives in to his curiosity and slides carefully out from under the blanket so as not to wake his wife.

It’s a little hard to find the route upwards, presumably so the children don’t make use of it - a ladder carefully inset into the climbing vines along the upper floor’s rear balcony. (Plants among more plants - the balcony is strewn with pots of flowering buds, jars of dirt waiting for use, long planters with the stems of autumn vegetables just starting to poke into view. Like so much of Jaheira's house, it is a sanctuary of green amidst the dusty brown of the city streets.) Caden carefully avoids damaging any of the vines as he clambers up the ladder; his shoulder twinges with the unexpected exertion and he grunts. Gods, getting old, aren't you, boy?

Emerging onto the gentle slope of the roof, he blinks, for a moment dazzled by the brilliant orange of the sunrise against which the endless buildings of the Lower City are silhouetted. The fall air is crisp and cold and raises goosebumps on his skin as he steps out of the cozy warmth of the house below. 

Jaheira sits with her back to him on the edge of the rooftop, looking out to the west away from the sunrise and towards the grey sheet of the harbor not yet touched by the daylight. Her head is ducked slightly, and it takes him a moment to realize that the strange sounds are coming from her - she’s playing, very unsteadily, a simple tune on a small and very battered tin whistle. 

He moves softly, but she hears him anyway, and her head snaps up, turning to glance over her shoulder. She fists one hand tightly around the whistle, dropping it into her lap as if to hide it. “Ah. You’re awake, my friend,” she says.

He smiles. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just came up to listen.”

She snorts softly. “We have known each other long enough that there is no need for flattery, Caden.”

“I didn’t say I was listening because it was good.” He sticks his tongue out at her.

This elicits a soft laugh, and her shoulders relax slightly. “No, I should think not. I cannot quite get the touch for it, despite my efforts.” She lifts the whistle again and turns it slowly in her fingertips, watching as it catches a muted reflection of the slow-rising sunlight. “I do believe it is mocking me.”

He grins, moving to sit beside her so his legs dangle off the roof edge. “I’m sure someone in the city could teach you.”

“For coin and time - neither of which I have to spend on such frivolity,” she says wryly.

He raises an eyebrow. “Ah, right, you’re the High Harper now. No more fun and games, hm?”

“Just so.”

“There are those who would say we, of all people in the world, have earned a little frivolity,” he points out.

There’s a dash of humor in his voice, though, because he already knows the answer she will give him even before she speaks the words. So he’s not surprised when she shakes her head. “There is always yet more work to be done,” she murmurs. “For the city. For my children. Perhaps for the world, if it should have need of me again.”

Caden juts his lower lip out stubbornly. “If the world should have need of me again, someone can bloody well tell it that I'm not available for hire. And nor is Aerie. We've given enough.”

“You and Aerie have many happy years yet ahead; I would not take that from you,” Jaheira says quietly. 

A pause, and then she laughs again, but this time it is a somewhat darker sound, sardonic, self-deprecating.“But… ah, well. You see that this is what loneliness will do to a woman.” She gestures vaguely with the whistle. “She takes to brooding on rooftops and plotting self-sacrifice, and tormenting the local cat population with the squeaks of a whistle.”

Caden frowns. “Is that what you are?” he asks. “Lonely?” 

Her head jerks, her gaze flicking away out across the buildings around them. Then she smiles, and suddenly the moment passes, the tension in her face loosening. “We may call that a slip of the tongue,” she says mildly. “What time do I have to be alone, with that crop of rascals running about downstairs? Not to mention the Harpers under my command - who seem younger every year. And you, just now, as my guest.” She shakes her head. “No - I am not alone, and for that I am grateful.”

“Alone and lonely are not the same thing,” he says gently.

Again that flicker of a shadow crosses her face. “Do not press me on this, cub,” she says. “A slip of the tongue, no more.”

“Cub. You’re not really so much older than I am, you know,” he says dryly.

“Nonsense.” Her expression softens as she glances at him affectionately, and then she grins. “You were the first wayward child I ever raised, long before Rion.”

“I was twenty!” He laughs, nudging her gently in the shoulder. “But believe whatever you want.”

She smiles. Whatever dark thoughts led her to the rooftop seem to have passed, or at least burrowed themselves into better hiding; she tucks the whistle casually into a pocket and pushes herself to her feet. “Come. I will leave aside this travesty against melody, and let us go down to breakfast.”

[blackjackkent]

Dipped back into my re-run of Hector's playthrough, which I'm getting close to done with (mid Act 3 now) so I'll be able to start making lots of Hector gifs soon. XD Conversation with Volo after rescuing him from the mob is hitting a little different now that I've started playing Rakha.

"What is the Slayer?"

"The Dream Eater. It is said the children of Bhaal are claimed throughout their sleep, ever disturbed by visions of a life of bloodshed and terror. Once they have seen too much, once these dreams drive their minds to break, they are beset by the Slayer. It is a beast of unspeakable violence that consumes all in its path, including the soul of the one who is to host it."

A couple thoughts:

a) He straight up uses the word beast which is what Rakha uses to reference the dark urge in her head. ^_^ Unintentionally perfect.

b) This makes me wonder not about Rakha but about Caden. I know he has the nightmares in Siege of Dragonspear and BG2 but the implication always seemed like it was Irenicus's doing specifically. But this implies that those dreams had been part of his life long before he met Irenicus - that as a child of Bhaal he likely dealt with just as terrible a time in his sleep as Rakha does.

This is interesting to me. Certainly I didn't know/realize/think of it at the time that I was liveblogging his story, but it does add a little extra pathos to the fact that Caden was such an incredibly nice guy in spite of all of the beast's best efforts.

Frankly I'm inclined to say that his dreams were never quite to the level of intensity that Rakha's are, at least when he was younger. My suspicion is that Gorion knew of the potential influence of the beast and took pains to teach Caden a certain amount of mental discipline and resistance from a very young age (subtly, without making it clear that's what he was doing) and consequently Caden was able to avoid the worst of the imagery that would have driven him mad.

But then eventually he met Irenicus, who knew exactly what was going on with Caden and why, and Irenicus was able to get in through the chinks in whatever mental armor Caden had developed and really wreck him internally, which is why Caden's dreams got a lot more intense and blood-filled at that point.

Anyway, just some interesting ponderings. (To me anyway. :P ) Looking forward to getting to this point with Rakha.

[blackjackkent]

Hector:

What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?

Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?

Rakha:

Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

Caden:

What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?

Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?

(Character asks!)

Hector!

15. What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?

Hector is a Selunite monk purely because I liked Rasaad so much in BG1/2, and I wanted to make a character in the same vein. Hector did ultimately bear some resemblance to Rasaad in his placidity and in fighting with his fists, and both of them have character arcs related to struggling with their own emotions, but Rasaad's was more about battling his darker/violent side, and Hector's is about learning to be the cinnamon roll that he truly is. XD

Realistically, every single OC I make is projection in one way or another. I do think Hector is similar to me in a lot of ways; I relate to his arc of trying to figure himself out at a later stage in life and while the world goes crazy around him. I'm not as old as Hector is at all, obviously, but my twenties were an emotionally fraught period and in a way it feels like I'm only now starting to get down to business. So I can take a little inspiration, hopefully, from Hector eventually coming out of his isolated life and ending up with a wonderful girlfriend. :P

12. Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?

Ugh, I'm so bad at this question lmao. XD

My go-to song for Hector came from a suggestion from a mutual ages ago, which is the song Man of Stone by Tall Heights:

Wearing the name on my body Painting the faith on my soul Baring my teeth just to hold on Practice the art of control

But I really should come up with other answers for this question because it keeps coming up. XD

Other thoughts, poking around in my Spotify playlist rn:

"Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel, which with the genders swapped around could feel like Karlach talking to him. :P

"She Sets the City on Fire" by Gavin DeGraw, which with some tweaking feels like him talking about Karlach.

"Love Like This" by Blackhawk, for general romance vibes and how smitten he is with Karlach.

I feel like some of the heavy-ish metal on my playlist might be good for Avernus vibes. "Are You Ready" by Disturbed maybe? ("Into the Fire" by Disturbed also has some interesting Karlach and Zariel vibes with some mental gymnastics.)

"Heroes" by Mans Zelmerlow has always struck me as a good bet for a lot of fantasy protagonists and Hector is no exception. XD

"Daylight" by Maroon 5 is a good one for vibes, for the time when Hector thinks he's going to have to watch Karlach die. "Gone Gone Gone" by Phillip Phillips also.

If I'm going to fully flesh out this list, I'd like to come up with some more songs reflecting his faith and his attitude of emotional control, but none are immediately coming to mind. Very much open to suggestions! :D

Rakha!

17. Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

This is kind of interesting to think about actually. There are definitely a number of recurring themes in Rakha's overall story, and I suppose there are recurring symbols that support those themes as well. I didn't really intentionally put any of them there, but it's fun to think about how they've evolved anyway.

I got very self-indulgent with this but low-key it's kind of an ego boost thinking about my own writing with the same analytical thought that I would have brought to something in my English Major days. :P

Blood. Recurring imagery supporting the themes of murder, death, and the battle against the compulsion to violence.

Headaches. A recurring motif for Rakha which I guess ended up kind of representing her battle against the forces both inside and outside her head that sought to control her.

Magic. Rakha's connection with magic ended up kind of symbolizing her own self-actualization and identity as placed against those external influences, and her wild magic surges were a visualization of that turmoil going on in her head.

Restlessness, dreams, insomnia. Rakha's dreams come in two flavors - the Bhaalspawn nightmares and the visits to the Guardian/Emperor in the Astral Sea. One was more peaceful than the other, but both were ultimately attempts to control her, and the lack of an ability to have a restful night's sleep reflected the chaos of her waking hours.

"Attack with purpose." A recurring motif right from the moment Lae'zel first said it. What is basically a throwaway line in-game ended up being the driving central thrust of Rakha's morality system.

"Violent heart." This only became a motif in the latter chunk of the game after hearing it from Viconia, but it ended up being a representation of Rakha's struggle with the fact that even after Bhaal's influence was gone, she still mostly only knew how to solve problems with killing.

Eyes. Rakha started out with a perfectly standard set of blue-grey eyes. Over the course of her adventure, those eyes became more and more corrupted - first by Ethel, and then by the Astral Tadpole - and reflected the chaos of her life and the influence of external forces with malign intentions over her life. As she comes out the other end of her battles now, her eyes have somewhat returned to a more normal state, but some of the scars linger.

There are probably more that I'm not thinking of but this is what I was able to come up with after some pondering. This was a lot of fun. XD Makes me feel like a Real Writer.

6. What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

Hm. Good question. XD

I picked half-orc for her race more or less at random, and the particular face preset I chose just because I liked its vibe. It's a tad androgynous which I'm always a fan of, and had a very sharp look to it which seemed appropriate for a Durge character. I didn't have any specific meaning in mind behind her scar or tattoo, although I did decide right from the beginning that her guardian was going to have the same tattoo as her as part of the Emperor's early attempts at manipulation. (I later ended up deciding that she and Z'rell both had the same scar over their eye as part of some Bhaalist ritual they'd both gone through - and that Z'rell is missing that eye because she botched it.)

The mohawk hair she has was also just an aesthetic decision really; it was pointy and sharp and felt Durge-ish. (It really doesn't hold up to much thought, honestly; hard to believe Rakha is doing that much hair styling in camp.) Originally I had it dyed orange, with the vague thought of a flame vibe to match some of the spells she'd be using and Durge's general destructive capacity, but it ended up clashing terribly with her starting outfit so I changed it to red.

With the decision to dye her hair red, I decided to go for a red-oriented vibe for her clothing/armor dyes as well. (As I said at the time when I decided on her color scheme: "Red for blood, black for the Dark Urge, gold because it fucks severely." XD

Caden! (Art by @eluvisen)

19. What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?

Caden is one of a number of Soft Boys(tm) in my OC arsenal; honestly, though, I think my favorite thing about him has ended up being just how utterly uninterested he actually is in being a hero or an adventurer.

My other OCs in this kind-and-gentle category (Matty, Philip, Hector, Adi, Dom) generally ended up in a long-term committed relationship with adventure more or less whether they wanted to or not, but Caden finished up his business with Irenicus (and, I suppose, in Calimshan in Open Your Eyes), and then said "That's enough for me, thanks, I'm going to go live quietly with my wife now," and then he just. Did that.

And he's 100% satisfied with that outcome. XD

My least favorite thing is that as a BG1/2 PC, I don't have a ton of visual references of him, unlike the tens of thousands(!!) of screenshots I have of most of my other OCs. But that's okay because fanart exists, and I have already gotten the lovely commission above ^ which helps a lot. :D

16. Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?

It is absolutely a running joke that Caden is tremendously trusting. Even though it bit him in the ass over and over again, he never lost the inclination to trust those around him until they give him a reason not to. His friends absolutely tease him about this on the regular, usually while they're in the process of unsheathing their weapons to battle the latest person who has betrayed them. XD

[blackjackkent]

For Caden,

🥩 (steak) - Does your oc have any coping mechanisms? Healthy or unhealthy?

🐞 (ladybug) - What does a perfect day look like for your oc? What do they do? Who do they see?

💔 (broken heart) - Who has your character hurt most? Physically or emotionally? How did it feel? Do they regret it?

(Red Emoji OC Asks)

🥩 (steak) - Does your oc have any coping mechanisms? Healthy or unhealthy?

Hm. Caden definitely developed a habit of inappropriate sass under pressure (ex1, ex2, ex3, ex4), which would maybe not be unhealthy in the traditional sense but definitely tended to piss people off. XD

🐞 (ladybug) - What does a perfect day look like for your oc? What do they do? Who do they see?

I do think that Caden's eventual post-game life in Faenya-Dail is pretty close to perfect in his eyes. Quiet life where he can love on his wife and family, living in a very pretty place where he develops lots of friends, unbothered and thriving in his lane.

The truth is Caden was quite happy overall with the calm and relatively unvarying life of Candlekeep; he was a bit of a prankster and liked to cause occasional chaos but he wasn't really itching to leave or have things change. So he is happy to return to that peaceful life not built around adventuring once all the drama is over.

💔 (broken heart) - Who has your character hurt most? Physically or emotionally? How did it feel? Do they regret it?

Physically this would probably be Irenicus, and he doesn't regret it at all. :P Fuck that guy. (I was going to say it was a tie between Irenicus and Sarevok but he only fought Sarevok to the death once. :P )

Emotionally, I'm less sure. Caden as a general rule is friendly with most people, and doesn't have a wide history of relationships where he would have been breaking hearts.

Haer'Dalis would certainly claim that their interactions cut him to the quick, I guess. :P

[blackjackkent]

It occurred to me (as I mentioned Jaheira in the last post) that I don't have a second BG1/2 Bhaalspawn to slot into Rakha's worldstate. (And realistically I'm probably not going to play the older games in their entirety again, certainly not to liveblog depth.)

So just like Buddy is Buddy in every BG3 worldstate, I think Caden is just gonna be my Bhaalspawn in every worldstate. He is a constant across the multiverse, casually sitting in Faenya-Dail kissing Aerie and staying the hell out of trouble. XD

[blackjackkent]

🎄🐁🥞 for Caden?

(♡~OC Asks~♡)

🎄Favorite holiday?

Hm. [goes to research Faerunian holidays]

OK, so there are a lot of them and my Forgotten Realms knowledge is definitely NOT extensive enough to be sure that anything in particular is Caden's favorite holiday.

However...

While he ended up being more of a follower of Selune due to his friendship with Rasaad, Caden grew up in Candlekeep which has more of an association with Oghma.

So I went and looked up what holidays are associated with Oghma; the wiki says that

Midsummer and Shieldmeet [a leap year day following Midsummer] were observed as holy days by the church because they were traditionally times for making or renewing agreements and pacts and for writing and signing bonds, deeds, and contracts.

Obviously, renewing and making agreements and pacts is not exciting, but Midsummer sounds like it's rather a nice holiday in the world at large:

Midsummer Night, also called the Long Night, was a festival that saw much feasting, music-making, and frolicking in the forests. It was a time when love blossomed, and often acquaintances became romances and courtships traditionally became betrothals. In some lands, unmarried maidens were released in the woods and their would-be suitors then ceremonially 'hunted' them through the night. More sedate folk just enjoyed the fine weather.

So - I'm gonna say that during Caden's childhood, Midsummer day was a time when he was always let off from his lessons and would have a fun time with the keep's staff (the priests and older scholars were pretty boring about it, but the bartender and stablehands and such could usually be counted on for a good party, and of course Imoen always had mischief on hand to do).

As a grown man, he still always enjoys the celebration and memories that come with Midsummer, even though he is now far from Candlekeep.

🐁Do they find a creature cute, that normal people don't? Such as spiders, rats, snakes, sharks, etc?

Hm. I think Caden likes most animals but doesn't have dramatically unusual tastes in this regard.

He's definitely not a fan of spiders after all the giant ones he's had to fight. XD

🥞What breakfast dish instantly reminds them of home or being a kid?

I actually wrote a drabble about this at one point (seven years ago now, good god), that involved Khalid frying eggs on Jaheira's shield over the fire because Imoen told him Caden would find the smell a comforting reminder of the dining hall at Candlekeep. :3

[blackjackkent]

(You know I always have to send you way too manyof these things...)

Jaheira/Khalid -

28. What's a conversation they'd get overly invested in that nobody else would care about?

4. Do they have the same love language as each other?

24. What's something that one of them loves, but the other hates?

---

Jaheira/Rasaad -

34. What's something that makes them proud of each other?

48. If they swapped bodies, how would they handle it?

36. What is a gift one would give to the other?

---

Caden/Aerie (because 😋) -

24. What's something that one of them loves, but the other hates?

41. If they had to spend a month apart, how would they fare?

13. Who is a better dancer?

(Character HC Asks for Any Relationship)

Wheee so many questions. :D

28. What's a conversation they'd get overly invested in that nobody else would care about?

Jaheira, particularly in those early days when she's with Khalid, is capable of having very heated discussions with anyone who will listen about nature, its general superiority over city and civilization, and lots of details about plants, animals, and wilderness survival. Most people she corners with this information are not particularly interested - with the exception of Khalid who listens with enthusiastic heart-eyes at all times.

4. Do they have the same love language as each other?

Hm. Despite how different they are in a lot of ways, I think the answer is more or less yes here. Neither of them are very accomplished at speaking their feelings out loud, and both are much more likely to show their affection with gifts, gestures, and acts supporting each other. And they're both very physically affectionate as well, although I think Khalid is maybe more inclined to PDA than Jaheira, who is more likely to initiate a cuddle without onlookers.

24. What's something that one of them loves, but the other hates?

Hm this is a tough one. Is it a cop-out to say that I feel like the two of them are really in sync for the most part?

Here's a feelsy potential answer. :P Khalid's family was basically dicks to him when he was a kid, top to bottom. Khalid, however, if asked his opinion, would definitely hedge an answer about how of course he still loves them because they are his family, despite how they've treated him. Jaheira, meanwhile, knows the full story and has needed to be held back on the one occasion when she met his family directly.

-----

(art by @eluvisen)

34. What's something that makes them proud of each other?

By the time Jaheira and Rasaad get together, both of them have been through a LOT of very painful shit. I think either of them would be the first to say that they are proud of the other for still standing up straight and facing the world and trying to do good in it. (And both of them would also downplay their own accomplishments. XD )

48. If they swapped bodies, how would they handle it?

LMAO. Hm. Uh. 🤔Can't say I've given this one any thought before.

Honestly I think both of them would be fairly uncomfortable right away. Jaheira in particular likes feeling in tune with her body and in control of it, and being placed in a different "container" that she didn't understand would be really unsettling. Rasaad would also be unnerved but I think also a little fascinated by all the minor details and differences between them and subtle differences in perspective.

Part of me jokingly wants to say they'd give sex a try just for the Unique Experience before figuring out how to swap back but honestly I think Jaheira would be so massively weirded out that fixing the situation would immediately become priority one.

36. What is a gift one would give to the other?

Trying to come up with something new for this that we haven't talked about before. XD

I think Jaheira, being a wilderness type, is probably good at crafting that involves natural materials, such as leatherworking. (She doesn't tend to do more hunting than is necessary for survival, but she makes a point of using every part of any animal she does hunt, or any killed by predators that they come across.)

After she and Rasaad have been together a while, she fashions him a deerskin cloak with a hood to help keep his bare head covered in bad weather. He places tremendous value on this gift and keeps it in pristine condition right up until the day he dies. It is one of several keepsakes of his that are now kept in Rion's room in a place of safety.

-----

24. What's something that one of them loves, but the other hates?

Hm. Caden is by nature a bit of a prankster, going back to his days in Candlekeep with Imoen, where the two of them drove everyone batty by picking pockets (giving everything back afterwards of course) and causing general mayhem. He's mellowed on this over the years but does still enjoy wreaking a bit of harmless havoc. (I could see him doing that prank where someone went to their friend's house and hid a bunch of toy ducks everywhere. :P )

Aerie by contrast is VERY earnest. She won't stop Caden in his playful scheming but I don't think she ever gets involved, and is very attentive to be sure nothing's ever going to get out of hand.

41. If they had to spend a month apart, how would they fare?

Badly, lol. Caden is a big ol' sap and, frankly, a bit traumatized by the time Aerie got kidnapped away from him and then (temporarily) killed. I don't think them being apart is something he finds particularly comfortable for long periods.

Aerie has also gotten a lot braver and more confident over the years, but she doesn't enjoy being apart from him either - for similar reasons.

13. Who is a better dancer?

I think both of them are very bad dancers. XD The Avariel are graceful by nature but mostly in the air; Aerie always feels a little bit ungainly doing things on the ground. And Caden has never really had a chance to learn anything about dancing. If there's music, the two of them might do the good old hug-and-sway, though. XD

[blackjackkent]

A few for the usual two and then a bonus because I love him now I'm getting to know him better!

Hector:

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

What embarrasses them?

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Rakha:

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

What memory do they revisit the most often? 

What makes their stomach turn?

Caden!:

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? 

Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? 

(Uncommon Questions for OCs and Their Creators)

Hector!

2. How easy is it for your character to laugh?

I've speculated that Rasaad's tendency to miss jokes is a more general Selunite thing, and Hector was not really brought up in an atmosphere of tremendous humor. So he's more often the straight man to other people's jokes. However - he's not immune to laughter, although his tends to be rather more restrained and low-key; this is, however, another thing that Karlach has helped instill more deeply in him, since she is nothing if not boisterous. She brings out a goofy side of him that doesn't really exist with other people and it's very cute. <3

18. What embarrasses them?

This is my recurring refrain with questions about Hector, but he is most embarrassed when he feels like his emotional control cracks or he can't keep hold of himself in a difficult situation. This happens fairly regularly over the course of the game because terrible things are happening to him, with a prime example being his meltdown in the House of Healing in Act 2; by late Act 3 he starts to toughen up a bit, but more importantly becomes more comfortable with the moments when he can't.

20. If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Hm. This is challenging cos idk if *I* even have a good answer for this, let alone any idea what Hector's idea would be. But I picture him being asked the question and immediately going straightbacked, hands behind him like he's doing a recitation in a lecture hall, and furrowing his brow up with deep concentration.

"Romantic... hm. Gods' blood, not so easy a word to define in the end, is it? I suspect any definition I might give would be woefully incomplete. But it's... well, what Karlach and I have, no? A relationship with a specific defined partner--" Here he pauses, then adds cautiously, "or partners-- which involves a certain..." He blushes. "Intimacy. Physical or emotional. With that person or persons alone."

("Fuck, soldier, do you need to make it sound so clinical?"

"Look, I'm trying to be precise!"

"He's always like this, like he swallowed an encyclopedia, with a dictionary for a chaser." )

A pause. "Platonic... would be an umbrella term for anything not romantic. And familial a group within that group, people bound by blood or by choice on a level that affects their identity."

("Ok, I won't lie, soldier, that was pretty good."

"The dictionary tasted fantastic.")

-----

Rakha!

1. What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

This depends entirely on whether there's something pretty and magical she can sit and look at. If the Weave is doing interesting things she can be convinced to do nothing but look at it for quite a while. iPad-baby ass Durge.

If there are people nearby it's a lot harder, because then the murder urge is twitching at her to get up and do something violent.

If neither is true, she does get restless after only a couple minutes if there isn't something to occupy her attention.

(Though it's hard to say - a lot of my thoughts about her might be about to change drastically for the last half of Act 3 given how Things have played out. XD )

38. What memory do they revisit the most often?

This is a tie between her night dancing with Wyll and one of her earliest conversations with Lae'zel ("attack with purpose"). The dancing scene is a memory of peace and safety with Wyll and his love for her which has been a bulwark against challenges in her own mind, and the conversation with Lae'zel has been a lodestone for her decision-making for pretty much the entire game.

16. What makes their stomach turn?

Heh... herself? In a way she has a pretty strong stomach; nothing in the standard line like gore really upsets her much given her nature (although again, that might be about to change). It's when she does stuff that she afterwards regrets that it maybe makes her feel sick to her stomach - partly because of what she did and perhaps even more because of the helplessness to prevent it.

Again, will be interesting to see what the answer to this question looks like in a few weeks.

-----

Caden!

7. What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

Any reference to Candlekeep is a surefire nostalgia trigger for Caden. He was very happy and very sheltered there, and the moment he left it with Gorion at the start of BG1, all of that calm happiness was shattered basically forever. He finds a new sort by the end of his story, comfortably settled in Faenya-Dail with Aerie and their descendants, but he had to go through a hell of a lot of crap to get there.

The nostalgia itself is a mixed blessing. He likes remembering his old home and he wouldn't want to lose the memories, and he feels Gorion and the other Candlekeepers made him the man that he is in many ways. But those memories are also tinged with a lot of loss and sadness for a long time; it's only after his adventuring days are done and he really feels like he has a home again that he's able to look back on it with more equanimity.

39. How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? 

Lololololol.

Yeah... basically Caden's defining feature beyond ANYTHING else is his willingness to trust just about anyone, often despite numerous signals to the contrary. This has gotten him (and his friends) into trouble on many occasions and definitely becomes a running joke, but it is nevertheless an important part of his identity that he meets new people without judgment until he absolutely can't ignore problems anymore. (It was also the reason he suffered the worst betrayals of his life, so it's definitely been a double-edged sword, but overall his friends would all agree that he wouldn't be Caden without this.)

32. Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke?

There is a point in BG2 where Caden has to tell a story to entertain a couple of sahuagin (iirc - I'm having trouble finding the liveblog post at the moment) and tells the story of his own battle with Sarevok in the previous game. He also sounds pretty depressed about it, though, so it's hard to say if that would be his go-to story in most scenarios.

I think people *ask* him a lot about his adventures in Baldur's Gate and Amn, but I think he probably avoids specifics, particularly about Irenicus, except when talking with very close friends. Instead, he likes to focus his stories on the colorful characters he's met in his travels, and particularly his companions.

In scenarios where he's under pressure, he defaults to inappropriate sarcasm a lot of the time. :P (One of my favorite instances of this.)

[blackjackkent]

Unrequited for Caden/Aerie! :D

(Send me a pairing and a prompt)

Send me a "Unrequited" and I'll write a drabble about one character longing for the other.

((Ooh, good pairing choice for this one. ;) I think this ended up likely being set roughly somewhere before this conversation.))

------

"Aerie?" Caden calls softly down the hall toward their rooms at the Mithrest Inn. "Are you coming down? Everyone else is eating."

"What? Oh-- yes, I-- I'll be down in a minute," he hears her answer.

Involuntarily he smiles a little, just hearing her voice, but the smile is tinged with concern. "Everything all right?" he asks, moving to poke his head around the door frame.

She is sitting on the bed, a few crumpled sheets of parchment clutched in her hands. Hearing him enter, she looks up and blushes at once. "Oh! Yes, everything's fine, Caden. I was just... well..." She looks down at the papers and then adds shyly, "Haer'Dalis gave me this bit of one of his plays and said I should learn the lines. He thinks I should be an actress."

Caden's smile flickers almost imperceptibly, then steadies. "Well, and why shouldn't you be, if that's what you want?" He hesitates, then crosses the few steps to sit on the opposite end of the bed from her. A pause. "Is it what you want?"

She fidgets uncertainly with the parchment. "Perhaps," she murmurs. "It is beautiful, the words on the page. I-- I should like to be able to speak them with such confidence. But I do not know if I can."

Caden reaches out cautiously to rest a hand lightly on her arm. "I do not doubt your ability to do anything you wish to do," he says softly.

"You are kind to say so, Caden," she says, but he can tell she does not really believe it.

Of course, he reflects sourly, perhaps it means more when Haer'Dalis tells her so, with beautiful language and passionate eagerness. The thespian tiefling has a seemingly neverending supply of compliments and artful turns of phrase, and Caden is not blind to how it has worked on Aerie in the time they have all traveled together.

What chance have I, country boy from Candlekeep with darkness in his soul, compared to such a worldly light?

"Would you... like to read the lines for me?" he asks cautiously. "I could even try to read back the other part, if you would like."

She hides a giggle behind one hand and looks sideways at him. "It is a love scene, this piece, you know," she says.

Of course it is, Caden thinks ruefully, feeling heat rise up his neck and ears. Why would it be anything else? "I'm happy to help," he says stoutly. "Though I am no master of the stage myself."

She considers, clearly debating within herself whether she is too shy to attempt this before anyone yet, even him. Then she nods and smiles slightly, and leans over, her shoulder brushing his, so that he can also look at the page she is holding.

"It starts here," she says, pointing at one line near the top of the paper. "Theodorus speaks first. That's you. And I'm Cynthia. He's-- I don't know. The lines are quite complicated, but if I read it right, he is her servant. And they are both in love but neither can tell the other..."

He finds himself momentarily struck dumb, as if he's forgotten how to read, because she is suddenly closer to him than she has ever been before and he can feel her warmth where her shoulder is against his... Focus, Caden--

"Ahhh--" he stammers, fumbling for the words on the page. Slowly they come into focus. "My mistress true," he reads hastily, "too long have I attended/thy troubled mind and longed to place a balm/upon the fev'rish pain that doth bewilder/thy heart with fear and doubt and wonderment."

She clears her throat, reads back the next line earnestly. "Oh Theodorus, wouldst that thou could know/the passion still that burns within my heart/for one who should not hear and doth not ken/the state to which he drives my aching soul..."

Her eyes flick up and she catches him staring at her, and she laughs again softly. "Your turn again," she points out.

"Ah, right. Um... My lady, sure I think you wrong to doubt/that I should have the heart to understand/such pain... for true it is I live and breathe/within consuming fire of my own..." He trails off, swallows in a suddenly tight throat.

She turns her head, raising her eyebrows. "There is more to the line. 'Much could--'"

"--Much could I say, had I an artist's mind..." Caden says hoarsely. This feels, suddenly, like a dreadful mistake, because the words of the play resonate far too keenly with the longing that drifts up in his heart whenever she's close to him. He stops, coughs, and then attempts the line again. "Much could I say, had I an artist's mind/with skill to match the fervor of my heart./But still it is my soul shall know the depths/of feeling that my tongue could never sound..."

To his deep embarrassment, his voice cracks a little on the last word.

Damn it, he thinks, clenching one fist suddenly into the sheets of the bed they're sitting on. It isn't fair.

She draws back a little, registering his agitation, and her eyes widen just slightly with some sudden realization. "Caden--"

"It's your turn," he whispers.

"Yes, but--"

"AERIE!" Haer'Dalis's sharp tenor cuts across the moment like a knife; he bursts through the door with a wide, ear-to-ear smile and a dramatic gesture. "There you are, my mourning dove; I did fear we had lost you in the great halls of this fine establishment. Will you not come to eat? I would not have you faint on the road for lack of a good meal!"

He extends a hand to her with an elaborate flourish. If he notices Caden is even in the room he gives no sign of it; his attention is entirely on Aerie.

"Oh!" Aerie says, startled out of whatever she was about to say. Her eyes flick between the two men frantically for a moment's hesitation, and then her shoulders slump just slightly, though she smiles in answer to the invitation. "Yes, of course, Haer'Dalis. I was just about to come down."

She reaches out to take the tiefling's hand, then pauses, looks to Caden. "And you will come too, will you not?"

Caden's expression has gone suddenly rigid with the effort of keeping a wave of turbulent emotion from showing on it. "Yes, I-- I will be down shortly," he says hollowly. "Do not let me keep you."

[blackjackkent]

springagainafter: awww at the Jaheira post with flashbacks springagainafter: was the "shadows of Amn" bit a deliberate title drop? :p springagainafter: glad Imoen never turns into the Slayer; that would have been awful blackjackkent: it wouuuuuuld blackjackkent: and yes it was haha blackjackkent: was wondering if anyone would pick up on that springagainafter: me immediately: "*Leo pointing pic* it's the game title" XD blackjackkent: :D springagainafter: awww adult woodworker/storyteller Quayle; I love it blackjackkent: <3 blackjackkent: i indulged myself terribly with that whole post haha blackjackkent: :D springagainafter: loved it! :D blackjackkent: :D excellent blackjackkent: <3 ty friend springagainafter: <3 springagainafter: do Caden and Aerie have other kids? blackjackkent: good question :O i think i've pictured quayle as an only child but he marries another of the avariel and they have a number of kids so there's a crop of like three or four grandkids at this point. springagainafter: awwww :D

[blackjackkent]

All right, back into Hector's playthrough... left off having just gotten Minsc and Boo! I'm so excited. :D

Next priority is to save Florrick, bc I gather that's on a time limit before she gets hanged, and then go after Wyll's dad.

Lots of exciting stuff to do. :D Quick stop at camp first though to make sure that Minsc is getting settled in smoothly.

"Jaheira... Boo is trying his best to explain, but I still do not understand your anger!"

"Do not hide behind your hamster, ranger! You do not understand because you do not *listen*!"

OK, so maybe not completely smoothly. XD

This reads to me as Jaheira having a bit of adrenaline letdown; she's been worried about Minsc since before she even got to the Shadowlands and now she doesn't have to be anymore, and there have been a lot of other backed-up emotions waiting their turn, such as anger for having put himself/her in that position in the first place.

"We were the first to discover the cult. And if you had only waited, we might have marshaled our numbers and--"

"Good does not wait for evil to button up its britches! When it offers buttocks for the smacking, Minsc and Boo greet cheek with hand!"

Good old Minsc. XD

Hector and Co. are just watching this play out and looking sort of bewildered. Hector doesn't say anything yet though. In arguments among the companions he's traveled with longer, he has been willing to step in and take a hand, but I think he sees Jaheira and Minsc's friendship as something he stands a little outside of, and is even rather intimidated by. He's grown very close to the people he travels with, but the idea of a decades long friendship of such depth and shared challenge is outside his experience.

Say nothing.

"This mess falls on *our* heads, Minsc. The city under siege, its people poisoned by the cult - it all might have been avoided if you had just put your feelings aside and *listened*."

Hector tips his head thoughtfully to one side as he listens, and he feels a flash of sympathy for Jaheira. She is angry, yes - but at herself as much as Minsc. There is guilt under the words. She sees the moment of Minsc's capture as a turning point in the whole conflict.

And yet... had things played out as she describes, there is no guarantee things would have gone any better.

[INSIGHT] "Or the trail would have ended there, instead of leading you to Ketheric," he points out quietly. "The Prism. Me."

Jaheira glances sideways at him and scoffs. "I have seen too much to believe destiny has taken our side," she says bitterly. "Blind luck, perhaps. The point remains."

"You meant well, Minsc," she says - more calmly but no less pointedly. "But you exposed the city to harm. You helped the cult spread. And worse, perhaps, than any of this..." She swallows sharply, and her voice cracks almost imperceptibly. "You forced me to leave you behind!"

The emotional subtlety seems a little lost on Minsc, whose eyebrows and shoulders lift in an attitude of abject puzzlement. "But... this is where Minsc falls short of the understanding, Jaheira!" he says earnestly. "What else is a berserker for, if not to charge into danger ahead of his Wychlaran?"

...Oh. :(

Narrator: [HISTORY] The Wychlaran - wise women of Rashemen, each bonded to a berserker bodyguard for life. There is no higher title, nor deeper bond, in all of Rashemaar custom.

OK this is actually kind of sad. :(

In this particular worldstate, Minsc has already had not one but two witches. In BG1, he and Dynaheir were traveling together when Caden initially recruited them, and Minsc was devastated when she was killed at the beginning of BG2. And then, further on through BG2, Minsc eventually asked Aerie if she would be his new Wychlaran, which she accepted, because she is a tremendous sweetheart.

The big question to rationalize out here - given Aerie's kindness, Minsc's loyalty, and the fact that Minsc was one of Caden's best friends - is how Minsc stopped considering Aerie his witch, because Aerie and Caden are both super alive and happy and safe in Faenya-Dail, half a world away.

The only explanation I can conjure up is that we know Minsc definitely continued adventuring after BG2, and despite the narrator's point that a Wychlaran bond is supposed to be for life, I picture Aerie basically releasing him from the pact because she was no longer traveling/in danger particularly and didn't want to hold him back from his adventures by feeling like he had to be around for her. (And, to be honest, probably freeing herself a little as well from feeling like she had to be responsible for him in turn while she was trying to settle down with Caden, raise Quayle, and not think about that sort of nonsense so much anymore.)

Knowing Minsc, this would be a troubling development, because his role as bodyguard to a witch is critical to his identity. So it is not surprising to me that he would latch onto Jaheira as a replacement - she is one of his only remaining close friends, and she is an older, wiser woman with powerful magic.

That said, it's also not surprising to me that she doesn't respond positively to this discovery - she has seen plenty of his relationship with both Dynaheir and Aerie and doesn't want that level of bond with him (especially not if it is going to trigger him to dive headlong into a nest of mindflayers to "protect" her).

"Wychlaran...? Minsc, I am not your witch! You are not my bodyguard! This is not some high lodge of your homeland!"

"Boo agrees you are a queer kind of witch," Minsc says gravely. He still seems more puzzled than castigated by her irritation. In his mind, which operates in simple, isolated truths untouchable by nuance, his loyalty to her is simply not a matter to be questioned. "But this city is a queer place. And Minsc, you may have noticed, is sometimes strange himself."

Minsc pauses, considers in silence for a moment. "The titles matter not," he finally agrees after a little while. "Only this - when Minsc does as Minsc does and charges in to make a mess, Jaheira does as Jaheira does and finds a way to save us all anyway!"

Hector can't help a slight grin in spite of himself. He doesn't blame Jaheira for her irritation, and he shares her worries for the battle that lies ahead. But Minsc's greatest crime here seems to be loyalty heedless of consequence, and there are far worse failings to have.

"Aw, that's actually kind of sweet," he says; his lips twitch as Jaheira shoots him an exasperated glare.

"Ugh," she mumbles. "I fight alongside fools."

Minsc grins broadly, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "You hear that, Boo? We fight alongside a Wychlaran again!"

"I am your *friend*, ranger. I am not your witch!" Jaheira snaps. "There will be no ointments, or healing balms!"

Minsc's face twists with perplexed regret. "Not even for Boo?"

Hee. This is absolutely meant as a throwback to this banter with Aerie in BG2, and I love it.

I was definitely wondering previously if Minsc was considering Jaheira his new witch, so that confirms it. Poor guy. :( He just wants someone to be loyal to - as we all do, I suppose.

Jaheira is clearly not comfortable with it, though. She is, as we know, a person who keeps her own cards very close to the chest emotionally; a bond that deep and permanent is not something she would give easily, and certainly not without some Serious Discussion in advance. (To be honest this reads more like her being bothered by him just assuming it and using it as his rationale for acting irresponsibly; I could see a scenario where, had Minsc asked her the way he asked Aerie, she might have been more amenable.)

Maybe Shadowheart would be interested in a berserker bodyguard, Minsc. You should ask.

[blackjackkent]

Hi there! I’ve been reading your playthroughs and love them a lot! It’s inspired me to want to try smth similar with my game, but I’ve been having a really hard time coming up with a character, as opposed to a generic self insert. Your PCs are so great and distinct, how do you go about creating them?

:O Ahhh, this is such a nice message, thank you! Very touched to hear you've been enjoying my stuff and that it's inspired you as well. c:

Let's see. I think what is most significant about the way I create characters through liveblogging is the idea of focusing on throughlines. In other words, recurring elements carrying through from post to post/event to event. Every time I write about something happening to them, I try to focus on how it can relate back to something else that already happened to them, and how that informs their reaction to the new thing. This helps give them a sense of internal consistency and motivation.

This is particularly significant, I think, with Rakha, since she literally knows nothing besides what she's experienced over the course of the game. So every experience is a step based on what came before it. But even with Hector or my other earlier OCs (or, tbh, even when I'm writing fic about established canon characters), in any given situation I'm always thinking about what makes their response specific to them and not somebody else. What have they gone through, what past reactions have they had, that inform the current moment.

As far as the initial process of creating a jumping off point... I think for the most part I try to combine two simple facts about them to create a unique third thing, and that ends up providing a very personally unique starting point for all the throughline work. (DND with its combination of class and background provides some useful starting points for this out of the box for any new character.)

Examples:

Hector: I knew from the character creator that he was a monk and that he had the Sage background. This gave me a starting point image of a guy whose life consisted of a combination of physical training and intellectual study - which would be a very rigorous life indeed, leading to the combination "third thing" that he didn't really ever leave the monastery and was very new to the adventuring life. This was the jumping off point for all of his early game reactions to things.

Rakha: I knew bc she was Durge she was no thoughts head empty, and in my first post writing her, I had her think very systematically through all the facts of her situation. Taking these two things together made for the "third thing" that she is a very analytical thinker and takes rational interpretation of events to an extreme, which has colored her speech patterns, responses to events, and interactions with other characters.

Caden: I decided in the CC that he was a thief, and the game gave me an initial context of being raised in Candlekeep and being close with Imoen and Gorion. This combined to the "third thing" that he was a good-hearted person who nevertheless did know how to steal things - kind of a goofball who liked pickpocketing and stealing for the fun of it but always gave everything back. This laid groundwork for him turning out to be a generally trusting person often flummoxed by people less generous and more manipulative than himself.

Speaking a little broader and outside the DND context, Elliot Hawke: I knew I wanted him to be a mage, I knew I wanted to play him as more sympathetic to the Templars, and I knew I wanted him to be a red/aggressive Hawke, since my previous DA2 char had been none of those things. So I combined these for the "third thing" (conceptually, not numerically) that he was a somniari, which gave him reason to be scared of his own powers and lash out at the people around him. This informed all of his choices and behavior afterwards.

I sadly can't find the post now but I read someone a while back talking about how you can use this same approach for worldbuiliding as well. (A particular culture of people with only one defining trait is boring. But with two, you combine them to make a third more interesting set of implications about that culture which gives them depth. Etc.)

But yeah, once I've figured out that establishing hook, then I can build on it with every experience they go through. How is their response to that experience colored by the hook/past experiences? How does it fit or contrast with what they've done up to now? How does it add to their store of experiences going forward?

One example off the top of my head, with Rakha: meeting Ethel at the tiefling camp turned out to be a formative experience, because it clashed and contrasted with the established throughline up to that point. Rakha was, as established, very cool and analytical and not emotionally driven, but Ethel was (apparently) kind to her and it woke up an emotional response that was new to her. This made the experience stick out in her mind - and also meant that when she eventually went to Ethel's teahouse, she had a very specific chink in her armor that Ethel could use to convince her to give up her eye. Had she gone straight to the teahouse without the previous combination of experiences, her reaction to Ethel's hag form would have been quite different.

I could probably ramble about this a lot longer (quite entertaining to analyze my own writing like this), but I hope this gives you some ideas to work from and answers your questions to some degree. c: I really appreciate you asking! Cheering you on in your own character creations and would love to hear about what you come up with!

[blackjackkent]

I need to go back through part of Caden's playthrough in BG2 to refresh my memory on some stuff for this one-shot I'm working on, which led to the brief thought that maybe I should redo his whole BG1/BG2 playthrough with more hardsaves like I did for Hector, and while doing so actually try playing the game on normal difficulty. (Since when I liveblogged it I played it on story mode where it's impossible to die.)

I just reached the Friendly Arm Inn at which point Imoen was promptly hit with the Horror spell and then one-shot by the rando assassin hanging out on the steps, which sent Caden (understandably) running around in a frenzied panic for a full minute (stumbling into and out of the nearby cow barn several times) while the assassin killed the two nearby guards.

When Caden finally calmed down, I sent him back to survey the damage, at which point the assassin, who was still at full health, promptly also one-shot him and gave me a game over.

😂I'm not sure I'm cut out for this game.