#dont follow if you follow any other astarions

[lanaevyssmoved]

picturing bg3 if it came out during the kinnie era

[coriphallus]

The Dark Urge thoughts (and prayers)

anyone whos been following me knows im absolutely not normal about durge and i wanna share some tidbits that are implied, but not necessarily canonised, from their story;

I already made a post about it but it seems like bhaal has a degree of control over whether they live or die. he can deny them death, if they fail the duel with orin.

bhaal can command the slayer. he forces orin to transform if you talk to her about sarevok and the scene makes it clear that its against her will.

bhaal manipulates his kin in a subtler way. in the colony you can find a letter from old durge thats apologising to his father for 'liking' gortash. you can interpret their relationship as something deeper but even if it wasnt, this reads to me as terrified and desperate.

the reason being, if you have a LI in act 2 you get the famous bondage scene. coupled up with the letter above makes me think this is a pattern. bhaal can use their feelings against them. he did it with sarevok and orin's mother, orin's mother and orin, etc... it's not as straightforward as 'if you disobey ill kill the one you love'. you will. durge will.

bhaal is testing them in act 2, he revels in chaos, sure, but in the grand scheme of things he doesn't care about isobel. even if you tell scel that you'll kill her you're told that youre too late, you ignored your urges. from durge, bhaal doesn't expect calm calculated murder, he expects blind obedience. failing to receive that his first punishment is to take away something they cherish. there are no half measures, theres no bargaining with a god.

we get so many snippets of information that this has happened before, their foster family being their first victims. theyre made to kill their support system with their own hands, with no one to blame but themselves. they are actually apologising to their father for being fond of gortash because (in my humble opinion) theyre genuinely afraid.

how many times could this have happened, how many nights durge couldve woken up covered in the blood of someone they love until they gave in, became daddys obedient puppet?

durge is groomed for murder. scel says 'you always failed to conduct yourself without me' and given who he is i dont think hes talking about table manners when he says 'conduct'. durge needs 24/7 oversight to set themselves right lest they get tempted by softer things. lest they dare to step away from bhaals grand plan.

durge do have a choice. just as shadowheart had a choice, just as wyll or astarion had a choice. its a choice only in name.

theres no ending besides refusing bhaal that their friends and LI wont die by their hands. the entire lore of bhaalspawn is that theyre meant to conquer the world in his name and slit their own throat a top the mountain of corpses. as cazador aptly put, 'theyre made to be consumed.'

you can pray to bhaal and the narrator says he won't accept [any offering] but the entire world.

durge (and bhaalspawn) do get some sort of euphoria from murder. they crave it like an addict, but bhaalspawn (on prev games) don't constantly have to grapple with these urges as durge does.

now durge is a slightly special case but not in a good way. its implied that theyre not like a regular bhaalspawn, that theyre made by bhaal directly -so to speak-. which is to say, if youre playing a drow, they are bhaals closest approximation of a drow rather than a drow flesh and blood.

thats why theyre fighting tooth and nail against these urges every step of the way, they are literally bhaal himself(in essence). the personality they develop, the person who calls themselves 'tainted' and 'wretched', the character thats making choices throughout the game, theyre the tumour.

theirs is the story of cycle of abuse cranked up to 1000 and it is in parallel to all other origin companions.

[prettyboykatsuki]

wyll whos nice and kind down to his bones but develops a nasty jealousy streak….tugs you back behind some secluded corner of camp to kiss you something fierce when he catches how others at camp look upon you…starts smoking a cigarette

steadily yours | w. ravengard

✮ tags ; jealousy, established relationship, gn!reader, kissing / hickies, alcohol, silly and lovesick wyll

✮ wc ; 2k

✮ a/n ; ive thought about this ask for a week straight. its getting dire.

some minor spoilers for wylls romance like extremely minor and vauge!!! i am only just entering act three so pls dont spoil me but this take place vaugely post game lololol

The Blade of Frontiers is a good man.

This isn't a title he's given himself, but one bestowed upon him. Through tales and songs all across the city and uttered from the very lips of his lover - Wyll Ravengard has always strived to be a good man.

He can't assert this by any measure, but he knows best his own effort. For the sake of the city, for the sake of his people, for the sake of love. He wants very little to himself, and he fights with every ounce of him. His heart is in the city, but his soul is with you. Between these two places, there's no amount of sacrifice or burden he isn't willing to bear.

Part of being a good man is being the master of your own desires. What other men do is none of Wyll's concern, but he's always been adamant about keeping firmly on the straight path. Wyll wants love properly, much like how he wishes the world around him would follow.

Properly, with order and justice and care. That's how Wyll has lived his whole life.

And he's believed of himself that loving that way came easier upon him than it did others, though that was nothing he felt like bragging about. It never felt difficult to abstain from the ugliness of anger or jealousy.

That was before you. And this is after, this is post having your meeting. Wyll has had a relationship or two. Puppy crushes that fizzled off as soon as Wyll's responsibility began to overwhelming. Like, less than love, really. This time it is love, and love is incomparable to any sensation in the world. Not the cut of a blade against his skin, nor the warmth of a sunset. No mortal feeling could really measure to love.

In the aftermath of loving you, Wyll supposes, there is an ugliness within himself that he never really knew about. But maybe it's only normal. What else could there be after he's encountered the most beautiful thing the world has to offer, beyond even gods?

There are three things on Wyll's mind, lately. One, that he loves you more than he thought possible. Two, that he's relieved about the state of affairs. And three, he's very tired of feeling this way.

Not that he's tired of loving you. Things just aren't so busy anymore, and that means there's always people around. The people of the gate love you, and you're more hospitable than you let on. The camp is busy, rife with life every single evening and everyone is always so keen on meeting you.

You're busy, rightly - laughing and drinking. Though you're not much for talking, you do your duties as a host and tell stories when prompted. You seem to enjoy yourself in the well-earned reprieve and you've really do deserve very bit of that love and attention that's come your way.

So, Wyll knows feeling this way is ugly. The jealousy is ugly, and Wyll's not entirely lacking self-awareness about it. Though before he could chalk it up to other things, lately it's impossible. He knows that the Outlanders who come seeking your company have no idea you're engaged - and that they're simply men who desire you for the name you've earned.

A warrior, a hero, a myth - Wyll does not blame them for their curiosity.

But he feels pitiful to be so stirred up about it anyways.

He drinks tonight, though the carafe of wine is mostly full. The others speak amongst themselves. Astarion drifts by him, stands and sways in motion in the cool night air with a smug look on his face that Wyll is too dazed to catch.

Astarion speaks first. The sound is muffled first, impossible to make out in his own mind before a pale hand waves in front of his face.

"You know I'll have to thank your darling later for allowing me to see such a rare sight," Astarion drawls. He's sober, though there's wine in his hand all the same "The Blade of Frontiers, seething with jealousy. A marvel."

"I wouldn't call it seething," Wyll replies, still only half paying attention. His eyes are glued to you. He can't bring himself to look away.

Astarion laughs, a little pity in his voice , though Wyll can't really make out if it's sincere or not.

"But you'll admit you're jealous? My, Ravengard, you've changed." Astarion says. Wyll doesn't bother asking what he means, since it's true in any case "Forgive those poor Outlanders. It's hard enough watching them pine for one half the lovesick couple as is."

Wyll sighs.

"It's fine," Wyll says, though even he can hear how much he doesn't really mean it "It's not like they would know. I suppose many people wear decorative rings these days."

"Gods, this is funny. Just listen to you, I mean really. What a delight. I have half a mind to call the rest over just to witness it in person. Unfortunately I'm not so charitable," Astarion says back to him holding in a laugh "Whatever will you do, Ravengard? Maybe you could kick up a fuss, or pick a fight. People brawl at these things don't they? Oh what a sight that'd be indeed."

Wyll ignores him, but he does heed the advice. He would like to do something about it, though there won't be any brawl. He steels himself, passes an empty cup off to Astarion who makes a shrill laugh as Wyll starts walking himself over the fire.

When he arrives there, the conversation has come to more of a relaxed lull. You notice him even engrossed in conversation, flashing him a smile so beautiful he feels a little blinded.

He gives you one in return, disarmed. The outlander who's been trying to win your attention all night goes to address you again and Wyll is quick to interject.

"Ah, sorry - would you all mind if I borrowed them for a minute?"

You give Wyll a look of surprise, your eyes crystal clear. He feels guilty almost instantly, but continues anyway.

"Is something the matter?" You ask, your voice softened. You've been drinking, from the way your words melt together.

"Nothing serious, just something I wanted to talk to you about in private. That alright? Promise I'll return them before the night is over."

"As long as you promise," Says the very same one Wyll's been trying to tear you away from all evening. You laugh heartily before standing to your feet. You're beaming at him, brilliant - and Wyll goes back to his usual pleasant self as he gives his goodbyes.

He says something about promising before he whisks you off, faithfully ignoring the knowing looks of party.

And he takes you to a quiet corner of the camp, a short trail bridging between the main plot of land. There's some sturdy scenery, and rocks large enough to shield you from the outside and give you privacy.

He's cornering you a bit, admittedly - but you seem happy to see him. As soon as you're alone, you have your arms around his neck. There's a delightful air of excitement around you and Wyll finds himself filling with all the fondness in the world.

The faint sour-sweet of wine lingers off of your lips. Wyll looks at you closely, studies your expression.

"Sorry, sorry," You apologize, suddenly more comfortable. A side of yourself that you only show to him. How funny it makes him feel "I was happy to see you, is all."

"I can see that," Wyll replies, smug - just barely. You bat your lashes, dazed. It's unlike you. Wyll likes it. "I'm happy to see you too. Always."

"Is it something serious?"

Ah. He's caught isn't he? In a way, he's tremendously lucky you're not too sober. He's sure you'll tease him about it later.

"No, I suppose not. It's nothing at all, I just," He stumbles uncertainly at what he should say "Well, I wanted to speak with you."

"You could've joined us!"

Wyll gives you a sideways glance.

"Could I?" He says, before he catches himself. He adds the next words apologetically almost "That outlander you've been conversing all night seemed rather rapt with you. I doubt I could've interjected anywhere without fumbling."

You look like you're processing his words, but it's not as if Wyll is going to let you.

Wyll often says to you that you make him forget himself, and there are moments like these he find that to be more true than ever. It is unlike Wyll - strong and chivalrous, poise and charming - to bear so heavy a feeling in his heart that he has to express it physically.

Only you could make his silver tongue submit to such urgent, base instinct. Wyll kisses you in the most unromantic way he knows. It's not very gentlemanly. A kiss to claim, to sink, to swallow.

He kisses hard, and your lips are faint with the taste of wine. You make a noise of surprise before you melt into his arms. The warmth of his body makes him feel like he's burning to ash. His tongue touches yours, warm and hot nipping at your mouth.

When you pull away, Wyll decides it still isn't enough to curb the jealousy. He lets his teeth drift down to your neck. Sharpened canines that scrape against thin skin. Wyll sucks hard, enough to make all the capilliaries break.

And you sigh - a pretty, welcoming noise. Wyll is marking you. He leaves one after the other, in admittedly visible places. But he's not thinking about, not really.

Not until your voice breaks, the sweetest edge of desire to your words. He's not so debased to do anything to you while you're more than tipsy. He pulls away from you, blinks at you candidly - before the realization dawns on him in full.

By the gods, what's wrong with him? Embarrassment hits him afterwards, abject dread filling him as he peers at the dark marks along your neckline.

Did he really...? Really?

"Wyll," You say, strikingly sober and delighted all of a sudden "Are you...perhaps...jealous?"

He rubs his face on his hand, suddenly flush, turning his expression to one side. He can't deny it at this point can he.

"I wonder if my life will be easier once our wedding is announced in print," He offers sheepishly. You laugh loudly, absolutely elated as you press your forehead to his. He does the same, of course "The ring seems to be no more than decorative to everyone."

"Wyll Ravengard, I would've never guessed in a thousand years you'd drag me here because you were jealous."

"Please forget my uncouth actions at your earliest convenience my love," He says, groaning "I might die of embarrassment otherwise."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I get jealous over silly things all the time. I tell you as much."

"When you do it it's endearing. I'm meant to be a gentleman, yet in front of you - I lose my wits like I'm a boy no older than seventeen. It's maddening."

"You forget yourself?" You tease, characteristically. He laughs.

"A bit more each day, it seems."

"A little jealousy is healthy, Ravengard. Though, I'm not sure how we're going to return to camp in this state." You say, giving him a suggestive look "Perhaps we have a bit more to talk about here instead, hm?"

"We should be doing such things in a bed. Or a tent." Wyll insists. You chuckle like you know he'll give into you.

"Wouldn't it be more effective if that Outlander you're so jealous of saw me with a post sex glow, along with the hickies."

Wyll feels his skin prick with heat.

"You drive a hard bargain." He comments, voice soft as a whisper. You laugh.

"Maybe you're just an easy sell."

Wyll laughs heartily at that.

"Any one would jump at the chance for something so priceless, Hero of the Gate."

You give Wyll another smile, lovely and genuine - there's nothing smug about it. You kiss him tender, sighing happily into his arms. He finds himself helpless to his own joy.

"Then lets kill time here and head back,"

"Yes," He says, jealousy tucked away for now "Let's do that,"

[adaptacy]

i am obsessing so hard over gale. like, i kid you not, i started out HATING him cause he was eating my artifacts and seemed completely useless in battle. but then i started a second playthru with my bf and i was like 'well im romancing astarion in my main so i GUESS i'll go for the other pretty boy'

....

it was the start of a very, very, very extreme brainrot fest.

so! as I learn more abt him (im in the shadow cursed lands rn, haven't had the sex scene with him yet so i dont know his character super well/im not super confident in portraying him) take this little snippet of wizard angst cause he needs a hug and i wanna give it to him :)

-------

“I reckon it’s sweet.” 

“Sweet?” 

“Sweet,” he clarified. “And smooth. Dare I say… simple. I must admit, I was somewhat befuddled with the absence of a necessity for complexities; you required no books, no training, no vexatious intricacies– it came naturally.” He remained fixated on a point off in the distance, perhaps watching the quiet rippling of the lake, just off the camp’s coast, undisturbed by the activity that usually stirred during the day. 

Peace was a mercy, and an uncommon one, but you felt it, here, with him. Like the eye of the hurricane that stalked you throughout Faerûn, the bloodshed and chaos that ruled your everyday life was far from absent, but it was silenced. Screams that echoed in your ears were muted, momentarily, granting you a glimpse of life before your adventure, before the hunt, before the cult, before the illithid’s influence. It would be short, but the fact that it occurred at all was a miracle. 

“Like wine.”

“Wine?” You chuckled, shifting a little closer, his arm coming to wrap around your shoulder, further warming you. 

“I predicted bitterness. A bite, or a sting. I’ve read stories about flavorful affections such as these. Stories. Can you believe it?”

“With how much reading you do? I can,” you hummed, resting your head against his side. 

“Tales, I believed them to be. I’ve seen love. Red love. Irascible, fractious love. Impotent, paralyzing love. Love like a raging sea. A love that I trusted. A fool I must’ve been.” There’s a short, woe-rooted chuckle that escapes him followed by a thin exhale out of necessity, out of defense. You knew who he was referencing, but you couldn’t bring yourself to mention the name. “Any sane soul would regret it.”

“Do you not?”

“There’s little time in this life– certainly, it offers no such room for regrets. I’ve wasted too many moonrises pondering the past.” His fingers graze your arm, and you allow your eyes to fall closed. “Many a wondrous thing I’ve witnessed. More than a man of my caliber should deserve. In a single lifetime, I’ve experienced more than a library's worth of literature could possibly cover.” He smiles, you can hear it in his voice. “From a mage’s best dreams to a direwolf’s worst nightmares– I’m sure I, myself, couldn’t have asked for a more thorough tour of what this plane, and a few others, have to offer.” 

“And yet there’s more.” Your remark is a light-hearted one, as you are sure everyone will have more to reflect on the closer you get to the cure you seek. 

But he sighs. A quiet one, restraint tightening his lungs, and you feel unease. “Amongst it all, I have even discovered what I once argued impossible. Simplicity. A priceless simplicity.” This time, when his arm moves, it brings you closer. He craves the contact, the connection struck between you. “Simplicity in love, of all things.”

Your eyes open to find his gaze no longer on the quiet riverbank, and instead on you. There’s a bruise on his left eyebrow, and a cut on the bridge of his nose. He’s pretty, even with the wounds, but you know they sting. A part of you feels guilty for seeing such beauty in his suffering. Deep down you know there is no Gale without suffering. 

At a glance, that’s all there is; a bruise, a cut, and a solemn smile. An exchange of pity for one another. Even for yourselves. An agreement, silent but strong. 

On further investigation, his eyes hold an unnatural glisten. Only then does it register.

“Gale…”

“It’s what’s best.” You sit up slightly, but you’re met with a gentle hush, and his smile grows, the dimples on his cheeks fired by an unknown audacity. “I’ve come to accept it. It is the decider of my fate– it always has been.”

“There are other ways,” you push out the words, and you find the bite, the sting, that he mentioned. In love, you find the pain. 

“Never did I imagine the world outside my tower to hold such beauties. Such contagious fragility. There are no books on this subject. No studies on this exchange of power. What is a puppet to do when he loses his creator? His puppeteer? When he can no longer stand, no longer dance, no longer perform? When obeying is all he knows, what does he do without direction?” 

He doesn’t sit up, he doesn’t stir. He looks back out to the waters. For guidance, maybe. For peace. For life. You’re left with no choice but to settle with the tide. A hand comes to rest on the dark imprint below his neck, desperate to find answers where the weave fails. 

“I have found simplicity. And, perhaps, that is the final step. I never imagined growing old. I suppose it isn’t meant to be.” He breathes, and you can feel the steadiness of his lungs. He isn’t scared. You can only wonder how long he’s contemplated this decision. “You see me. You look past the strings, my love, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still linger. I am but a man; I am no hero, I am no god. But if your safety is the only accomplishment I ever succeed in, I will lie satisfied in my earthly rest.”

“A few more days,” you whisper, pleading. 

“I only ask of you one thing.” Gale inhales, his heart pumping against your palm, pressing closer to his skin, desperate to feel him, to feel more than the orb, to feel more than Mystra’s design. You find his humanity in the tear on his cheek, the hair on his chest, the irregular mock of his heart’s rhythm. You find his humanity in his love, in his hopeless compassion, in his unwavering loyalty. “Don’t let that damned vampire even think about touching me.” 

He chuckles, and you do too, pulling yourself into his chest, hugging him close. He repays the affection, lips on the top of your head, his every breath lingering on your scalp. The peace remains, but you fear this may be your last serving of merciful tranquility.

You only hope it isn’t Gale’s. 

[lesfir]

Astarion past of corrupt Magistrate

A bud that didn't bear fruit, not one that was cut off.

There was no time to realised in the game that Astarion was a very, very bad, corrupt elf in power. The beginning of the story hasn't been rewritten, the key idea remains - for April 2024.

I have a couple words and sources for it. The latter I found recently, and it has a story of its own. Sources from Larian's internal kitchen is extracted by hacker methods.

Let's start with just that In the fall of 2023, the Larian Discord leaks happened. Leaks of Welch chat, Larian's narrative designer (in the past), and co-writer of some scenes with Astarion. As of April 2024, the narrative designer of the romances. You can read about their unprofessional acts here. For me, it also plays a role that it's not even their character, it was worked on long before them, another author and creator. So that kind of statement who understood what about the character is so... ridiculous.

And the question arises why we should trust the word of a very unprofessional person? That's right. Because: 1. These are not their personal words, interpretations and "I feel like". It says what Larian was planned for Astarion's story, but didn't have time to show. 2. Welch came to work at Larian well after Early Access. This backstory of Astarion was already told before Larian hired Welch.

The other few sources that tell of Astarion's backstory. Their sequence and nuances are also important.

1 - Info from the publication VICE The year is 2020, February 28. First presentation of the Baldur's Gate game by the hands of Swen Vincke. Astarion already Astarion as he is, white hair, fangs, a vampire spawn. (no horns and no tail) I watched it all and dont find that Swen is no information about Astarion's past. I don't think the publication is running a fake. So I'm assuming this is a site exclusive-lure about the key points plot of the game.

„A disgraced nobleman who used his position as a local magistrate to serve a vampire clan by feeding them prisoners, he was eventually too corrupt even for them and was effectively sent to serve as the personal slave of a powerful vampire”

I haven't seen it abandoned. After a while, the artbook confirms corrupt-taste for power-past.

So, a person who has been following the story closely notices that some of the information is incomplete. However, " feeding them prisoners" could very well be a plot twist for new playrs, and it should be left out in the exclusive. All the more reason: • Corrupted elite - used his position of magistrate • Taste for power. Desires, eternal life - for luxury, influence, eternal beauty, more power, vampires. • How vampires came to be? Why do vampires need a magistrate? - prisoners, it's easy to take outcasts for food. They also didn't forget to mention decadence. There is no reason for a person to think that a key moment in history has gone away.

2 - Artbook I found the first mention in winter 2022 (edit if I find it earlier) Baldurs Gate 3 Collectors Edition Pre-order for the physical collection, including artbook $269.99 Next February 2023. It mentioned that BG3 Digital Deluxe Edition will be available to Early Access buyers. With this artbook. That is, the information passed from edition to edition. Weird, giving irrelevant information that will confuse you for free! Yet you have to pay for the physical irrelevant information, 270 bucks. Did Larian give any warning about this? 270 for non-canon. Enjoy the game.

Astarion. Decadent and Dangerous Two hundred years ago, Astarion was a corrupt elite of Baldur’s Gate with a taste for power and a hunger for eternal life.

3 - unprofessional employee revealed the internal workings of the kitchen and what Larian, as an entire company - that's Astarion's author, Stephen Rooney, actors, animators - didn't have time for previously mentioned Astarion backstory. Confirmation of what was already known.

escuisi: I've been thinking about how in act 1 there seems to be a setup for more info on the gur incident/cazador conveniently being there to turn him but then theres no reference to it later on? Like, Astarion's all mysterious about it in a way that clearly implies he did something shitty we would find out later ("they had taken issue with a ruling i had made") but its never expanded.

Baudelaire Welch (larian): lol I did want to more fully explore the 'ACAB * definitely * applies to Astarion' angle but there wasn't really time for it.

The concept of "learning not to be racist" I am a building is shot down, probably by other writers. Not copstarion, that predates Welch. Of course. It would have taken two more acts - just an understanding. Overall it would still look... cheap and strained. The only evil male companion in this game. Astarion is about the darker sides of humanity, balance of fun and darkness. He must be asshole about something. The recent "I'm sure" posts are already more of a personal piece. Doesn't invalidate the information gained, which is verified by past sources.

Headcanon is a fan fiction that never hasn't been mentioned in any way in the media. Which there is no basis for, fiction. Like the dark-haired Astarion, mortal eye colour, for example.

The entire 1st act is precisely done and presented in 2020 with Astarion's backstory - all his approvals, reactions, all the lines. 2022 winter - pre-order of the physical edition with this artbook is open. The artbook that is promised as a gift to players by EA in February 2023 half-year before the release in August 2023 also confirms and includes information about the corrupt past. Approvals, most reactions, some of which are remade in PAD format, but not cut remain in the August 2023 release. The game gives hints and later coquettishly silent. Nothing logically erases this backstory of Astarion in the game And then in autumn 2023 there is a leak where it turns out that there was not enough time for Astarion's backstory.

The artbook is the grail. It always has been in my case in any fandom. In an artbook, every word is very precious. These are the key ideas author for the reasoning of the story. Maybe it's not the fans, but the way Larian treats the information he's given for thought. I find their pitching a clumsy. -- wasn't enough time to do -- abandoned the idea and cut it out are different things. If the wording was: we didn't have time, so we cut off, so this story is no longer relevant - then yes. Now it's: we didn't have really time to fully explore (emphasized the other part, this part was left unrevealed). For me, this story of Astarion levitates in the air, not gone, but not realized either.

There's nothing in the game plot that contradicts that Astarion's past was exactly that. Astarion would never say he was a corrupt arsehole when he wants Tav to help him, though with his barbarians, "raising the dead is easier than catching slaves, don't care slaves or building material", luxury, wealth and power that Astarion remembers in the his original, "mercy, please", vagabonds... Vice versa. It's all coming together.

That's the puzzle. Judge for yourself. Because the main thing that's missing: definiteness. For me, zero reasons to rate that this backstory is burned at the time of the release of the Bladur's Gate 3 game and for April 2024. It's would be hidden as a secret inside the story. A bud that didn't bear fruit, not one that was cut off.

Now Larian is doing a new artbook I really hope the situation is at least clarified. Stephen Rooney has left Larian, he said that in the spring of 2024, so it was always going to be an issue now. Unless of course they do CTRL+C CTRL+V.

Here.

[animentality]

I feel the reason why we don’t see a lot of people in the fandom who loudly hate durgetash or durgetash shippers (compared to the very loud backlash against people who, for example, headcanon Asterian as a doting father family man or etc) is that I think the Durgetash delusion is just kind of. Easy to understand? In general. Even for people who dont like or ship it. Like even though it’s very much a delusion built out of random scraps of game lore and notes and character animations, I feel like those scraps are so generically Compelling that it’s easy can see how people actually got here, way more than other obviously delusional ships in other fandoms. Or even in this one. Like you can’t really explain from anything in game why you think Asterian would make a good father (no offense to anyone on that grind 😭). But you can point to the prayer for forgiveness and Gortash’s unique animations when talking to Durge specifically, and recognise at LEAST what got people started, if not the fanon that followed.

Ironically this could ALSO be delusional on my part lol like maybe I’m just not seeing it somehow, but genuinely I have not noticed anywhere near the amount of discourse over Durgetash as I would expect from a similar ship in literally any other fandom. So I have just been trying to think about why! Is the delusion ultimately that sympathetic or are we just so in our own bubble that people don’t even know?

(Especially when Gortash himself is so very hated by most normal players for VERY correct reasons. Like he is SO hate-able. And I do see tons of posts of people saying they don’t get why people like him, but never to the level of what I would consider discourse. My Karlach-loving ass sure hated him until I played Durge and paid more attention to him and learned to enjoy him more from that funny gay villain angle, while still maintaining that Karlach and the Gondians and every refugee in the outer city deserve to beat him into a pulp ultimately - but I feel thats a common origin story for durgetashers lol)

You missed the outcry over the Franc letter being edited, huh?

We had a good couple of days of "Gortash isn't bisexual" discourse.

It's the most rowdy I've ever seen the fandom.

But you're correct in that Astarion fans will always be louder.

Gortash is evil and he's harder to woobify.

Doesn't mean we won't do it, though.

As for the general reason for Durgetash not being as intense as other ships, well.

How many people really play the Dark Urge?

Not many, I'd warrant. How many people care about Gortash at all?

Not many.

Now how many ship those two together....a good number, but it's still a small population, compared to the Astarion, Gale, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Karlach fans out there.

So it's just smaller, is all.

We try not to elbow each other too much, or we'll crowd crush in the broom closet of the hospital we're all crammed in, as Astarion fans are brought into Emergency Care after a night down in the discourse mines.

[wetcatspellcaster]

Did you see Neil Newbon’s take that Ascended Astarion is the real him free to act on cruelty and violence and the spawn is the one with the mask? Yeesh.

Ooooooh, THAT'S the disk horse that's happening right now!! I knew something was happening (I felt a tremor in the waters) but I had no clue what it was lmao, I don't follow cast stuff.

I will try to respond to this in good faith, but I'm not very good at fandom discourse and so I'm afraid it may not be the answer you want.

I can see why that reading might make people angry, but I dont have strong feelings about it. Obviously, it's not my take on Ascension, but from the beginning I've been very upfront that my take is serving the genre I'm writing in and the ship dynamics I find hot. My Tav is lawful good to an unhealthy extreme, and that was how she was conceived in her Early Access bullying phase. And meanwhile, I wanted to be in a Gothic horror where he's obsessed (morality chains will do that to you) and they beat the shit out of each other. I have to make the Ascendent a monster, for that to work, and for people not to feel guilty every time they enjoy watching him getting stepped on lmao.

But I do feel like there is a morality policing around Astarion's ending that I don't want to partake in. This might seem dumb for me to say, given that my Tav is a veritavle walking moral policeman, but that is bc I fucking love Villain/Heroine ships, so I am literally right there, at the Devil's Sacrament with everyone else.

While I like the good ending and prefer it for many reasons, I would agree with a reading of Newbon's words that it could be read as a mask. This might be bc I mask with the best of them, am doing it right now even as I write and edit this ask 20 times. There's masking as an outright lie, and then there's masking as 'gotta get through day to day life as a functional adult without everyone suddenly deciding they hate me'... I personally think its nice that spawn!Astarion cares about other people, and cares about being a functional member of society at all! It shows he's no longer a lonely outcast.

I could also go deeper (the autism really shining through in this reply) and say it's a mask, in the sense that this has been deemed the 'polite' and morally correct ending, that is acceptable to others and enables the player to feel good about themselves. Which is often a way we derive pleasure from media, and not wrong in and of itself! Making Astarion good makes players feel good - that's not wrong, but if we're comparing endings, we have to acknowledge it. An Ascended Ending doesn't really cater to that impulse... unless the player really likes to be dommed (more power to them).

Unfortunately anon, I can't sit here with my most popular fic being an Ascended!Astarion fic, and pretend that there isn't a bunch of fascination or interest surrounding the Ascended version of his character. People clearly want to explore the implications of his evil ending and indulge in the excess of it, but feel bad doing so. People don't ascend him in-game, but they go to my fic and other people's fic because they want to have some space to enjoy the implications - in the sexiness, in the timeline where Astarion has revenge, in a timeline where he is obsessed with Tav etc. I mean, just look at me, I can't sit through the Ascended scene, but I'm here writing a fic about it!!

The fact that it seems to happen more in fic than in playthroughs tells me, if I was to get super deep in a tumblr ask, that people feel guilt about it. Some kind of mask is being employed, by someone, somewhere, in that mix. So I'm not about to add to any of that kind of policing. It would be pretty disingenuous of me to get my most feedback from an Ascendent fic I am writing, and then judge people for liking Ascendency narratives...

So while I don't have much interest in pretending the evil ending isn't the evil ending, that doesn't sound to me (second hand, through you, with my brain seeing 7 or 8 different implications) to be what Newbon is saying. He's just saying that the Ascendent is the less palatable Astarion to other people and that spawn!Astarion still has some kind of mask or a politeness filter on. Which... yeah. Kinda. In my world, I like that Astarion decides its worthwhile to restrain himself, because he has things to care about potentially ruining. But that's still in many ways employing restraint. People don't just stop masking, they learn to care about what others think in a healthy way. They have friendships, relationships, other ties to the world, that make them want to be something other than a cruel or violent or evil version of themselves. I think that's nice, and far less lonely but um... yeah. I can see Newbon's point, even if I don't want to like, live or die by it.

[halsinsnaturepocket]

So I've gained a significant number of followers now thanks to Yearning for a Taste, so I felt like it was time for a little hello~ and a reminder about this blog.

this is my side blog! follow-backs will come from @carmsgarms

This is a pro-lgbtqia+ blog, and that includes the T. If you are a "radical feminist," gender critical, or otherwise think trans women are not real women kindly remove yourself from my blog.

If you know me IRL and I didn't give you express permission to be here, unfollow me right now. this is my safe place to scream into the void.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, see the above. I do not follow back or interact with anyone who has their hogwarts house in their bio. A shameful harry potter past is fine, but to continue making that part of your identity? nah. sorry mate, I can't overlook her bullshit. Find better things to like.

I am genderfluid/nonbinary - I use She/they pronouns, either and both are fine! It depends on the day.

This blog is 90% Halsin and Astarion and things I think might be too spicy to post on main. The other 10% is writing references, sapphic nonsense, and me talking about my wife. If you dont want to see me gushing about my wife, you can block my #/Wifeposting tag. If you don't want to see any of my personal nonsense, feel free to block the tag #/shut up carm

last but not least, if you want to be tagged when I post a new story, here's how to get on my taglist!

[cactusnymph]

@jadeandquartzes tagged me :D thank you jade <333

Rules: Go to your (current/main) AO3 account and find the following:

What ratings do you write most of your fics under?

I currently have 108 works on Ao3, 61 of which are rated T! And then 31 for G, 10 for E and 6 for M.

What are your top three fandoms?

Critical Role (40), Dimension 20 (21) and Baldur's Gate 3 (16).

What is the top character you write about?

Beau and Dorian (CR) both hold first place at 15 works total, and then Molly and Caleb are on place 2 with 13 fics each. And Jester with 11 is in third place. This is all going to be very CR heavy because nothing made my creative juices go like campaign 2 back in the very beginning 🤣

What are your top three pairings?

Ashton/Dorian is 1st place (8 works total) which cracks me up because it's such a weird rarepair :'D Molly/Caleb are directly behind that in 2nd place with 7 works total. And then third place is shared between Beau & Caleb, the Mighty Nein, and Wyll/Astarion/Karlach.

What are the top three additional tags?

Mutual Pining, First Kiss and Emotional Hurt/Comfort. Yeah. That checks out :'D

Does any of this surprise you?

Dorian/Ashton being my most written ship does surprise me, the other things not at all :'D

Tagging @calicostorms @curiouslavellan @raziraphale @rzepi @damienthepious

and @amethystviolist

(no pressure if you dont wanna :D)

[trevisos]

OC meme!

tagged by @aliasknives!! thank you love :3

tagging @menzoberranzans @elminsters @tadpole-apocalypse @undead-potatoes and anyone else who wants to do it :3c

B A S I C S

Full name: xarrai. just xarrai lol. they’ve never once used their last name and so that gave me an excuse to never make one up for them :)

Gender: sure. whatever. (transfem flavor)

Sexuality: bi/pan/who cares

Pronouns: any

O T H E R

Family: they don’t remember if they ever met their father or not, and while their mother and at least two half siblings live in neverwinter, they don’t speak at all

Birthplace: the outer city, somewhere between wyrm’s crossing and the basilisk gate

Job: bard, courtesan, information broker, pickpocket, con artist, professional drunkard, etc etc etc. post-game, they add adventurer and (reluctantly) bard college instructor. (jury is still out on if the xarrastarion harper ending is canon in which case they add harper to the list even more reluctantly LOL)

Phobias: loss of autonomy, The Church Of Bane As A Whole lol

Guilty pleasures: if you asked, xarrai would tell you they’re a true hedonist and would never feel guilty for any pleasure. but if you dig deep enough into the trunk they had stashed at the elfsong you will find a collection of some of the worst romance novels in faerun buried under fancy dresses and thigh high boots that they would VEHEMENTLY deny is theirs. they don’t Like these books but they are obsessed with them the way people hate watch reality television LMAO

Hobbies: reading, leather working, writing (mostly music or poetry), stick n poke tattoos, drunkenly making out with strangers at the blushing mermaid, petty theft. obvs they sing and play their lyre but that’s part of their day job so i’m not sure if it counts under hobbies? lmao

M O R A L S

Alignment: chaotic neutral, leaning a littleeee chaotic good by the end of act 3. a little.

Sins: most of them if we’re being fully honest. lmao

Virtues: self-control, vigilance, freedom (is that a virtue? whatever.)

T H I S O R T H A T

Introvert / Extrovert

Organized / Disorganized

Close-minded / Open-minded

Calm / Anxious / Restless

Disagreeable / Agreeable / In between

Cautious / Reckless / In between

Patient / Impatient / In between

Outspoken / Reserved / In between

Leader / Follower / Flexible

Empathetic / Unempathetic / In between

Optimist / Pessimist / Realist

Traditional / Modern / In between

Hard-working / Lazy

this section was such a challenge for xar they r very much an Everything All At Once guy lol. take these answers with a grain of salt ig

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

OTP: astarion, unfortunately for everyone involved

Acceptable Ships: gale (but it never really works out for them,) technically they romance halsin in game as well but it’s not really romantic. tbh u could make an argument for them with most of the companions and it wouldn’t be That outlandish

OT3: i mean like astarion/xarrai/halsin is vaguely canon but they’re never Serious with halsin, though perhaps they get a little more romantically involved with him post-game? realistically i think xar just keeps a rotating cast of other partners coming in and out of their life until the end of time and i rly dont see astarion ever having an issue with it. they would get bored without hearts to break tbh. its enrichment.

Brotp: karlachhhh forever and ever. after she dies, they’re probably closest with gale (sorry gale lol)

Notp: it’s not technically a notp but i am obsessed with how badly xarrai wants jaheira and how she turns them down every time. ur never gonna get that milf honey but u can keep trying

[deaths]

eeeeeeeeee uh i dont know i needed to get this out of me. thoughts on That Part in shadowlands that makes me want to rip my hair out and eat it. but also some lustarion.

the cursed shadow lands were taking its toll. after finding arabella, that sweet tiefling girl in the village who they had returned to her parents, only a week later to have her parents be dead a week later… it was too much for lumina. the first thing lumina felt in his life he did out of kindness without reward had turned to ruin without mercy. lumina had told arabella to follow him and his party back to camp that night, stating he didn’t see her parents yet, but hopefully they’ll find them through lying teeth.

lumina couldn’t bear to be around arabella, even as everyone else seemed to dote on her that night, aware of her parents passing. lumina went to the edge of camp, looking out at the surrounding quiet darkness. he felt a sinking in his stomach anytime he thought about that poor girl, her family, how he was hopeless in it all, idly playing with the matching set of wedding rings he had found on a long-gone pair of skeletons in the nearby graveyard.

he looked over at astarion, who was staring daggers at the back of his head. he never was one to mope, but here he was. “yeah, i know, mad i let her stay?” he puts up a dismissive hand and a weak defensive smile.

astarion crosses his arms, “why would you assume that? can’t i simply be worried about my helpful darling being all doom and gloom?” noticing the small frown taking over lumina’s face, he sighs, taking a seat on the ground next to him. “why didn’t you tell her the truth?” he says in a curious whisper.

lumina fidgets his hands in his pockets, feeling around the rings, reflexively tightening his jaw. “look at her, astarion. for gods sake.” his voice waivers, feeling the pressure sink into him. “i’m doing fucking everything i can right now, please, let her be blissfully unaware for a moment. i can’t do everything right.” he chokes out, his claws digging slightly into his own flesh.

astarion’s face becomes a nervous frown, “i would never- i would never ask you to do everything right. that’s not what i meant.” he instinctively moves closer, his hands inching to search for any physical way to release his lover’s pain. “i am worried about you, that is the main thing i’m worried about. you… you keep,” he rests his hand lumina’s hand. “hurting yourself. for others sake.”

he flashes a grimace before sinking it truly in, all this was getting to him, it was all too much to handle. what happened to selfish heartless lumina who left people dead on the streets? what happened to the backstabber that lied to make ends meet? why was seeing people dead and forgotten affecting him so badly? he can feel his throat tightening, as if he is going to cry, but only a pained groan comes out of his mouth. astarion looks at him in surprise, but there is undoubtedly empathy in those eyes.

“it’s… fine if you need to cry, dear.” it feels uncomfortable to say something he wouldn’t like hearing anyone say to him, but that’s all astarion knows how to say now. the out of place-ness of it makes lumina give a half smile. “that’s much better, more,” astarion gives a vague hand gesture with a disarming smile. “you.”

lumina rests his face on his hands, he could almost laugh from the strangeness and overwhelming emotional change. “fuck, that was stupid.” he peaks over at astarion with a uneasy smile. “it’s getting to me, being in this gloomy darkness.” he digs through his pockets, fishing out the wedding rings he found, roughly placing them in astarion’s palms. “throw these off a cliff or something.”

he eyes them, a small grin forming on his face. “hm, that idea seems more stupid than anything you said before.” he notices the magical aura around the rings. “i wasn’t planning on doing this so quickly, but you leave me no choice. give me your hand. i will not take no for an answer.” he says playfully. lumina’s eyes grow wide as he freezes up, “that’s,” he looks at him surprised, but puts his hand out on instinct.

astarion puts a ring around his pointer finger, “this isn’t, that, but, well.” lumina feels the magical connection between the rings as astarion puts his on.

lumina laughs loudly, and wholeheartedly, “oh my gods. i was so worked up in my own shit i didn’t even,” he fidgets with the ring. “warding spell? through the rings? pretty smart.”

“i want to protect you, like you protect me.” astarion clears his throat, feeling embarrassed he admitted that outright with no layered witty. “stop- feeling bad for yourself, the others miss you.” he quickly gets to his feet towards the camp, lumina following after with a grin.

[thievescanted]

cal-as-companion questions part 1

this is @omgkalyppso's fault btw

Where can your Tav be recruited? Are they first encountered on the Nautiloid, or in the Nautiloid crash region? Or are they not recruitable until a later act?

cal can be found on the way to the grove just outside the nautiloid crash region, arguing with a man who, believing her to be dead, had been rifling through her bag. upon your interruption, the man will say he’s sorry for the mistake, but insist to you that he really did think she was dead. passing a DC 22 investigation check will reveal that there is something off about the way she breathes - it seems more deliberate than automatic.

when you realize she’s tadpoled too you can ask her to join you - she will be reluctant about it and tells you she doesnt play well with others. if you take her word for it though she says “Ohh ha that was a joke! No, we should definitely stick together. You could clearly use the help. No offense.”

Do the other companions have special comments or reactions upon recruiting your Tav?

astarion and shadowheart do nottt trust her lol

shadowheart: Are you quite sure we need her company? Far be it from me to question your judgement, but there’s something off about her. Something about her eyes, perhaps - they have this… cornered animal quality about them.

astarion: (looking over tav’s shoulder at cal, squinting - clearly is seeing something you don’t) Hm? Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine picking up another stray. Probably.

(after a long rest you can get the following banters if theyre both in the party:

astarion: you look cold, moretti. do you need a jacket? cal: you offerin’ me yours, sunshine? astarion: ugh. no, the last thing i need is for any of my clothes to come back reeking of cigarette smoke. i was only making an observation.

cal: you’ve got red on your collar there, astarion. what is that, tomato? or maybe - astarion: what? where? i - cal: (cackles) astarion: (sourly) oh, do fuck off.

they are playing undead chicken)

Does your Tav have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions?

of shadowheart: So you're taking this one with us, then. She doesn't exactly seem the friendly sort, but then I suppose neither do I. of astarion: I'd be careful of that one. Just take my word for it, yeah? of wyll: He's coming along, then? No, I don't mean anything by it. He seems... (wrinkles her nose) nice. He seems perfectly nice. of karlach: (clearly not paying attention to you, very clearly trying to see karlach) Sorry, did you say something? I was admiring the view of the, uh. Landscape. Just appreciating nature. of lae'zel: Sorry, did she say she knows how to get these things out of our heads? Why are we following you? No offense. of gale: Gods, but that one can talk, can't he? Can't say I really understood any of it. Ugh, wizard shit.

What sort of general actions raise or lower their approval?

cal will act soo annoyed about you choosing to help people (“Listen, I don’t mean to get in the way of your whole… (dismissive hand-wave) hero thing, but I do feel compelled to remind you that the matter of the fucking brain parasites in our heads is kind of time-sensitive. But by all means, let’s stop and help every sorry bastard we come across.”). she then proceeds to approve of it every time. she also approves of you giving people money. fucking with rich people nets huge approval. also she likes if youre kind of mean to people. dont worry about it

Are there any instances where your Tav can permanently leave the party, depending on player character actions?

honestlyyyy i think cal will straight up leave the party if you encourage wyll to sign a new contract with mizora. she really values autonomy, and i think telling him to give up his life for that of his father would make her lose a lot of respect for you. she won't leave the party if you help the cult raid the grove, but it will drastically lower it to the point where if she disapproves further she may leave lol

Do they have any secrets that can be revealed? What are the prerequisites for this secret coming to light?

she uhhhh died when she was 21, and was brought back to life by a woman named teverezhta; the condition for cal's revival was that she carry parcels for teverezhta around faerun. she doesn't know what's in them, or what theyre for (you later find out that one of the things she was delivering was shipments of the tadpoles youve been finding around - she was not aware of this). failure to comply with the terms of the contract would mean that tev could kill her automatically; however, the parasite currently gets in the way of this so cal has significantly more freedom. tev also can't currently track her by magical means

somewhere near ethel's house you can find a crow. if you speak to it it will just caw at you, with a note that the crow seems unusually intelligent (with animal speaking: caw. fuck off. caw.) the next time you long rest, the crow will appear in your camp and reveal itself as an half-elf man named emil, who informs cal that their business is not finished yet - tev may not be able to magically track cal, but if she finds she hasnt been doing her job, she'll find her and kill her herself. fortunately her current job is to continue investigating the cult

after this cal will explain her death and her contract to the best of her ability (she remembers neither, only that they happened). it's clear throughout the conversation that she worries youll see her as a liability

Do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game? Can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the Player Character makes?

YEAH. so you later find out that there's a piece of. someones soul that was inadvertently stiched into cal's heart during her resurrection - the intention had been for her to be a vessel for this soul, but it didnt quite go as planned so the teverezhta family found a different use for her. HOWEVER that piece of soul in her heart does give her the ability to utilize limited necromantic magic. growing that soul would increase her range of abilities, but also make her less herself (she'll eventually develop a second shadow, and her reflection will occasionally be. not her)

the end id define as the "good" end would be one where tav helps free cal from her contract. im not entirely sure how that would happen just yet, but it would mean she would be properly Alive again, albeit with that soul in her still

What do they say when the Player Character asks them to stay in camp? How about when the Player Character asks them to come adventuring again?

> I need you to go back to camp. Cal: What, really? Won't you miss me? > I'll find you later - go wait there for the time being. Cal: Fine. I'll go stare at some rocks and wait for you to get back.

> Come with me - there's work to be done. Cal: Thought you'd never ask. Try to keep up.

Does your Tav have any escalating conflicts with one of the other companions, like Lae’zel and Shadowheart’s knife-fight?

NOT..... really? like cal and astarion realize pretty quickly that theres something Going On with the other in an undead or undead-adjacent kind of way, but will have agreed to keep their noses out of it. they'll allude to it in banter from time to time to get a rise out of the other, but its - mostly - friendly

Are there any unique NPCs associated with your Tav that can show up during the course of the game?

emil will show up from time to time to annoy cal. he will flirt with the pc - to annoy cal - but nothing will ever really come of it. you can ask him about his family, and he'll give some answers. in a way that annoys cal somehow. he'll often show up as a crow, but he's like as not to appear in his genuine form

Are there any moments in the game that trigger unique dialogue for your character? (Like Gale’s anecdote about the barfight after you save the goblin prisoner)

(upon finding the necromancy of thay): (sarcastically) Necromancy. How lovely. Ugh. We're not taking that with us, are we? I think that's real, actual skin on it. (if you give it to astarion): Listen, I like Astarion as much as the next guy, but are we really trusting him to be normal about that?

[okthatsgreat]

if i could ask for any changes for the bg3 dark urge playthrough in patch 7 i would ask larian studios for bigger reactions to the redeemed durge scene in act 3. and of course i am strange about bg3 and my ocs so i WILL be expanding on what could possibly happen because it truly felt so underwhelming :(( DARK URGE SPOILERS DOWN BELOW

okay SO the redeemed durge getting killed by bhaal in act 3 if you choose not to follow bhaal anymore. i am always of the opinion that a dark urge playthrough is THE way to play bg3 if you want to make an original character because you are truly involved in the story, integrated into the lore, and get to have great story moments like your fellow party members do!! the weight of your decisions is SO heavy, and you are given fantastic motive/underlying intentions to each decision, with this huge dilemma of "good versus evil" being far more important to the dark urge (in my opinion ofc). it's a huge buildup all the way up to the end, ESPECIALLY for me who played a redeemed dark urge character that was fighting with itself for the entire playthrough. and then it just sort of falls flat bgfhdgbsjfg

as mentioned before, the dark urge gets a lot more special cutscenes than a regular tav does, which makes it feel as if the durge is more strongly integrated into the narrative. and with these cutscenes comes the expectation that there will be some kind of resolution to their own personal journey (as the dark urge gets a much more specific one than simply "get rid of that tadpole and defeat the absolute"). most of the other party members get resolutions-- think astarions final battle with cazador, shadowheart resolving the situation with her parents, gales decision about whether he should blow up or not, etc. for the dark urge, this "final resolution" is the battle with orin and the decision they make concerning if they become bhaals chosen one or not. off the bat this is pretty damn cool already!! your oc gets their own special battle with their blood-sibling, they get special perks depending on if they succumbed to their urges or not, and it is truly the culmination of their personal journey. which is why its so INFURIATING that nobody CARESS

i played a dark urge cleric of "lathander" that was teetering back and forth between her worship. it was fun!! they were a redeemed dark urge, which meant they fought through the orin battle without any special perks, and afterwards didnt accept bhaals powers. the battle was cool. the talk with bhaal was admittedly pretty cool. but then, when it finally came down to her refusing to be bhaals chosen, she just kind of Dies. and so much of why the scene falls flat comes down to how LITTLE the companions react LMAO.

like that death is HORRIFYING!! they didnt just get killed normally, because that would mean they could be revivified. the dark urge gets UNMADE right in front of their party. a god of death contorts them in the middle of a bhaal temple, revokes the blood that had created them, and unmakes them entirely right then and there. thats SCARY! but there is SO LITTLE REACTION. they just look a LITTLE unnerved all of the sudden as the dark urge unravels right in front of them, and then we dont see the rest of their reactions. like this is somebody who has been travelling with them this entire time, in most cases has helped them with their own personal journeys, has made deep connections with them, and then when all of this happens theyre just kind like 😧

AND THEN WHEN YOU GET REVIVED THEY ARENT THAT FUSSED EITHER? most you get is a pat on the back and a good job. i really think they need bigger reactions all around

here are some beautiful suggestions from me because i have a lot of opinions. number 1 give the companions dialogue when the dark urge dies. right now where its at the companions are more devastated when you go down in battle than they are when you are UNMADE BY A GOD IN FRONT OF THEIR EYES lmao. edit the cutscene just a little bit so that characters are running up to your durge trying desperately to do something and it isnt working. have an overhead shot showing the people youve befriended running over with PANIC in their eyes because truly what can they even do here. and then when the dark urge falls suddenly limp and life has left their eyes, have an unbelievably tense moment of silence before the companion you are closest with (love interest if you have one) give one final "NO!!!!!" or something before the screen cuts to black

number 2 establish the durge's death as FAR MORE PERMANENT. because its dnd when a character dies there is always this safety net of "oh i can just revivify them". shadowheart is likely in the party and with how they react before/after the durge's unmaking it really does feel like all of your companions knew you could be easily revivified lmao. UP THE STAKES!! i mean fuck while youre at it have every character in your camp in this cutscene, so that when they are all panicking in that hypothetical scene i illustrated above shadowheart can give a worried line about how "revivify is impossible because this isnt death, this is an unmaking. a god has reclaimed them and i cant bring them back". when bhaal kills the dark urge, it should feel like they are truly GONE and characters should react accordingly

number 3 make it so the day has changed before the durge gets revived by withers. you wake up entirely alone in that temple, hell maybe you even wake up in a GRAVE, and the implication is that your companions truly tried everything they could but eventually realised they couldnt do anything. this gives withers' intervention FAR more weight, as it has now been established that he is one of the only people capable of reviving somebody who has been unmade by a god. not only that, but this second chance of life has now ALSO been given far more weight, because this was truly, TRULY a miracle. it is a MIRACLE you are alive right now. have the conversation with withers, and then have a small cutscene of everybody at camp looking forlorn and sad or whatever before you come stumbling in with withers behind you. everybody is surprised and happy, and your partner might even run up and say a few emotional lines and give you a hug or something. and then when you speak with all of them after the cutscene is over they all have stuff to say about how it is INSANE you survived, so not only are they patting you on the back for defeating your dark urges but they are also just so happy youre still there!! HAPPY ENDING!!!!! a lot more payoff!!!!!

anyways.

[kakyoinmybro]

Thank you @bananasfosterparent for the tag! I tag @darksynkka and @envergortitwindow and anyone else who wants to do this! PS: I havent acctually played bg3, I dont have any of the consuls that its on and so I have been trying to save for a pc or something. But I have spoild the entire game for myself, so I do know alot about it through youtube videos so sadly I cannot show what my Tav would look like in Game and I can only use art.(scratch that tumblr wont open my art files, send help!!!) Basics

Full Name: Vetle Lysander Althea

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Asexual

Pronouns: She/her

Other

Family: Althea

Father: Unknown Sun Elf warrior

Mother: Unknown Wood Elf ranger

Birthplace: Barovia

Job: Former Barbarian for Baldurian military, current Druid/healer

Phobias: Aquaphobia

Guilty Pleasures: Refuses to share

Alignment: Chaotic netural

Sins: Eh..Too long to list.

Virtues: Always there to help others no matter how evil they may be.

This or that

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between / Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Loyal / In Between / Disloya

Relationships

OTP: Astarion , Halsin, or Gale(depends on the mood)

BroTP: Laezel, Wyll, Karlach, Gale(if no romance), Halsin(if no romance), okay she likes to befriend just about anyone

NoTP: The emperor, Minthara, Mizora, Shadowheart, the goblins, Scleritas Fel(sorry but I hate this guy)...

[strawberryflatline]

♡DONT REPORT JUST BLOCK♡

♡this is a sideblog!! My main is Mortuary-Maggots. If you're a jirai kei page or something of the sort, and you see that account follow you, feel free to follow me here or there! My inbox is always open to new friends. Just don't expect to have my constant attention, I'm still an adult with unfortunate adult responsibilities. However, I love chatting, especially about shared interests♡

♡about me♡

♡Name: I'll go by Doll/Dolly/Doll Face or Bunny to protect my privacy

♡Pronouns: It/It's, I am simply a little creature masquerading as a totally normal human girl

♡Sexuality: honestly hard to say at this point. Men make me want to remove all of my skin; women are wonderful. I am polyamorous, that much I know

♡Age: 23 (I'd prefer for minors not to interact with this page, but inappropriate content if any will be tagged accordingly)

♡Zodiac: Capricorn Sun, Virgo Moon, Libra Rising

Mental Illnesses: unknown. Surprisingly, I made it this far undiagnosed (send help).

Likes: making friends (despite my initial mistrust and dislike of people), gaming, writing/reading, horror movies, smoking, drinking, making people unsettled, dolls, masks, art, clowns/jesters, angels, catholic imagery, naps, bunnies, cosplay, fashion, makeup, alternative subcultures, music, video game lore, puppets

Dislikes: men usually, 90% of the world's population (that's not to say I'm not approachable, feel free to message me, I just can't guarantee frequent responses for a myriad of reasons), ignorance, those who take out their issues on those they care about (if you have the self awareness to apologize/acknowledge your actions that's obviously a different story), girls who throw other girls under the bus in front of men to appear cooler, pants

♡what you'll find here♡

This is a place for me to dump my stream of consciousness. Apologies if I come across wordy or pretentious by the way I write. I am undiagnosed, so I can't say for sure what causes these thoughts, but regardless, I hope these posts find their homes on pages of like-minded individuals. There's comfort in knowing you're not navigating this fog alone. Oh yeah, also jirai kei and menhera. (Maybe some Astarion posting here and there because there's something so insanely relatable about that silly little vampire twink)

♡Potential Trigger Warnings♡

♡talks of sh (mostly in mental forms)

♡alcohol, substances (weed, cigarettes, psychedelics, molly) I'm over 21. Please do not report; just block.

♡negative thoughts, suicidal ideation, vent posts, trauma talk

♡nsfw content (rare if at all. Just wanted to add it here just in case)

♡unsettling imagery/horror content

♡talk of ED

(Will continue to add to this if need be)

♡DNI♡

♡I'd prefer no minors

♡proana content

♡homophobic/transphobic/racist/etc. Don't be a dick basically

♡people who use their mental illnesses as an excuse to be shitty to those around them. Your traumas are valid, but they are never an excuse to hurt others.

♡If you figure out who I am irl, no, you didn't. I highly value privacy as a highly paranoid individual.

[limpfisted]

#LIMPFISTED. LUCIFER GOT DOWN ON HIS KNEES AND PRAYED TO GOD, HIS FATHER, THE FATHER OF ALL THE ANGELS. HE WANTED PSALMS AND SONGS AND SUNSETS. HE WANTED DREAMS AND FAIRY TALES, A PARADISE LOST, BECAUSE IT HAD NOT YET BEEN MADE. HE WANTED ADVENTURE, HE WANTED PRAISE, HE WANTED JUSTICE, HE WANTED POWER—AND IN GOD’S DEFENSE, HE GOT IT AS THE GATE LOCKED BEHIND HIM.

DID IT HURT, WHEN YOU FELL FROM HEAVEN? WHEN YOUR FATHER WOULD RATHER BANISH YOU THAN LOOK YOU IN THE EYE?

THE CLOCK HAS STRUCK MIDNIGHT, THE SHARDS OF THE GLASS SLIPPER CUT INTO YOUR SAWED OFF HEEL, THE UGLY DUCKLING HAS EMERGED FROM HIS SHELL AND AWAKENED A BLACK SWAN.

What are you waiting for?! LET’S START OUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

LET’S MAKE A PACT !!!!

indie wyll ravengard: mobile doc / print layout doc. herbert sherbert, 25+, they/them. brief rules under the cut.

screenshot base credit: @/laceratiio (follow them we stan!)

20+ only. don’t be nasty, don’t be gross, i like horror, i like dark themes, i don’t like Bad things, but also sometimes bad things are a part of the characters trauma and we can talk about it and write about it! also: i sometimes write toxic relationships/situationships between consenting adults. there are sometimes age gaps, wyll is 24 on this blog, but age gaps happen, don’t follow if you don’t like it man.

i like a lot of your ooc posts if we’re mutuals! tell me to knock it off if u dont like it! however, if u like all my posts, i will be ur online rp bestie and personal court jester (tho we will be keeping safe professional online boundaries in place lol, i want us to be mutual fans of each other’s art, we do NOT have to share personal details.)

discord i only give out rarely. tumblr ims are best. i love to plot, i love to talk, hit up my ims!

i write about bodily harm and canon characters trauma! all astarion trauma is tagged astarion tw! all suggestive content is tagged suggestive te, nsft, and nsfw! ask me to tag whatever u like, but i may forget! oopsie doopsies! give me the benefit of the doubt.

MY ICONS ALL HAVE A BIG CLOSE-UP OF AN EYE. IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE ICONS, JUST DON’T FOLLOW. I’m not tagging it, so sorry pal.

my wyll is transmasc and non-binary, he/him, he identifies as “a blade”, you can use any “gendered terms” for him!

alright i said this was gonna be brief. jesus christ.