#it’s gotta be mizora right

[callie-rex]

just realized we never really see the companions with their hair down. like shadowheart always has her hair up even after leaving shar, astarion always has his hair done up, etc etc. gale and karlach are rly the only ones bc they Literally Do Nothing To Their Hair besides MAYBE halsin and even then i honestly can’t remember if his is up or not.

[barkingbarghest]

I'm not afraid to admit I got all my "bg3 characters driving cars" opinions from this post. He's right.

[jeeaark]

I'm surprised Epilogue Wyll is a Ranger, not a Paladin. The man fits the mould pretty damn well. And having a good Paladin to contrast Minthara's evil Paladin would be neat.

Ranger Wyll makes perfect sense to me. Rangers are built for survival and to thrive in the environment of their choosing. Even Literal Hell. Not only would Ranger Wyll have no difficulty trekking a land that is nothing BUT heinous, that man would become a menace to every fiend that thought they were top of the food chain. Sure he won't have radiant damage, but he'll have favored enemy. That man would not only become the Blade of Avernus, but the Predator of Avernus. The Ranger Knightmare to Nightmares. Paladin Wyll can smite demons with big damage dealer spells sure, but demons come in the hundreds in hell. Poor guy would run out of smites reaaaaallll fast.

Ranger Wyll? Play your spell cards right, and you can have the environment kill your foes aaaaallll day. Paladin Wyll would be like a good sprinter, but Ranger Wyll? Marathon Runner. Paladins are defenders, pest control for communities in Faerûn and kicking overambitious fiends back to their planes.

Ranger Wyll? Is the naturally heat resistant, longstriding, enhanced leaping, persistent hunter of demons and devils. The man who doesn't wait for the demon lion to start devouring the souls of townspeople, but who dares stride into the demon lions' den itself and beat them at their own game. And this time they have nowhere to run and hide.

Also Paladins gotta have oaths. and that entails. rules. After the whole Mizora thing, I don't think Wyll wants to be stuck upholding anymore sets of rules. Let that man do what he wants without holy/fiendish consequence! The moral conundrum is what got Wyll stuck into the warlock business, and having a paladin oath is moral conundrum cocaine for nefarious evildoers.

Also. Ranger Wyll gets a Killer Puppy Companion.

Can't top Killer Puppy Companion.

[invaderzia1]

Horns (Wyll x Tiefling!Reader)

After breaking his promise to Mizora, Wyll navigates life as a brand new Tiefling. Luckily for him, he has support in his tiefling friends.

yes I’m aware the game isn’t out yet but I really liked that scene with Wyll and Mizora. Also this is set in act 1

Since disobeying Mizora, Wyll had been rather moody. Nobody could really blame him, not after the way she stormed into their camp and basically turned him into a tiefling, laughing about how some magic even she can’t fix. She left him with rather hefty horns on his head, leaving him to figure out how to navigate life with them by himself and laughing about how it’ll affect his reputation as the blade. So nobody was surprised when the heavy horns caused Wyll to struggle with his balance and maneuvering through his recent days, but they rather kept to themselves, all having other things to deal with then offer support to the poor man.

Except, you had been watching him. You had always found him quite charming and handsome, it honestly made you quite glad that he accepted traveling with you and the rest of your companions.

It had been a week since the incident and you’ve kept a close eye on Wyll, giving him space to process everything. But being a tiefling yourself, you couldn’t help but notice the lack of care he is giving his new horns. You knew what happened when people didn’t take care of them correctly, having suffered the consequences of failing to properly take care of your own.

Wyll is stood by the river near camp, having finished cleaning himself and getting ready to join the others for whatever food Gale decided to cook up. He barely even notices you sneak up behind him, too busy staring at himself in the reflection of the lake, still not used to his visual changes.

“You know, you gotta take care of them.” Your voice startled Wyll, causing him to jump slightly before turning to look at you. “Can’t just pretend they aren’t there or they’ll grow weird or get too brittle.” You moved closer to him, trying yo be cautious around him while assessing his new horns. “Kind of hard to tell right now what they’ll do, but I have some extra things if you need them.”

“What?” Wyll says in disbelief, almost self conscious about you having noticed how poor he’s cared for them the past couple days.

“If you don’t take care of them they might start grow weird.” You walk over, trying to get a better look at how his horns seems to be growing. “Or, they’ll become brittle and start to chip off.” Reaching up, you cautiously bring your hand to his right horn, but refusing to touch it until Wyll gave consent.

It takes Wyll a few seconds of going through his emotions before he leans his head down, letting you touch his horns. Your hands touch softly against it, standing on your top toes to get a better look at where they meld into his head. Then moving to look at the sharp tip of the horn.

“Hmmmm,” you let your feet fall flat again, letting go of Wyll, “I have an extra pad to smooth it down. They look healthy, but you are going to have to be careful of them getting over grown.”

“Like a sheep?” His voice comes out as a mix of surprise and disbelief, raising an octave.

“Yes,” you smile, finding it a little funny how that’s the only comparison he could think of, “like a sheep.”

He makes a noise of annoyance, accompanied by the sound of your laugh. As he looks up at you, he takes notice of your broken horn, recalling Karlach also has a similar situation. It feels rude to just ask, but he feels the situation permits it.

“May I ask what happened to your horn?” Wyll nods his head to your broken horn, instinctively your hand goes up to touch the nub.

“Oh this old thing,” you start, laughing a bjt to yourself as the memory surfaces in your brain, “fun story actually, when I first started traveling I didn’t have enough money to keep my usual tools with me. So I went without taking care of them. Ended up in a fight against a lone gnoll, thing got a good grip on my head and just took the rest of my horn off.” You can’t help but laugh, knowing to everyone else that seems wildly traumatic, but so much time has passed that you feel disconnected from it. “Luckily, I was able to even the score. We both left that fight pretty fucked up.” Your hand falls to the necklace around your throat, decorated with teeth that Wyll is now able to identify as gnoll.

Wyll’s mouth drops horrified for a brief second, then letting air escape his nose as he starts to laugh. It’s a weird and fucked up thing to bond over, but for the two it seems to work. As the laughter dies down, you put a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait here, I’ll go grab my bag and help you with them.” You say, then running back towards camp, leaving Wyll slightly flustered by your kindness.

You rush back, a brown bag tightly held in your hands as you come back. You gently lead Wyll to a large rock by the water, patting it for him to sit down, which he does. Placing the bag next to him, you jump onto the rock and kneel behind him, just like your parents used to do for you when you were young. Reaching into the bag, you pull a small vial of a yellowish liquid and a round brown pad.

“Alright, now this is horn polish, you can find it in most market places or you can make your own.” Your hand snakes over his shoulder, showing him the vial. “It goes on before you use this,” your other hand goes over his other shoulder, reveal the coarse rough pad of material. “This will help you buff out your horns and keep them looking smooth.”

Your hands disappear behind him, he can hear the vial open behind him and then feels your hands softly applying some of the liquid to his horns. You take great care in making sure you cover all of them, then wiping your hands off on your bag.

“This is going to feel kind of weird the first couple times, but it’ll get better, I promise,” you warn him, giving him a few seconds to brace himself.

The feeling of the rough pad against his horns is awkward and uncomfortable, almost like hearing nails on a chalk board. Wylls teeth grit together as he clenches his hand together, trying to brace himself as you go to work. He feels your body get closer to him, trying your best to comfort him while using both hands on his horns. You try your best to be both thorough while going quickly, recalling how much you hated this when you were a kid. To try and distract him, you opt to speak.

“When I was a kid, my dad used to help me with my horns. He was always better at this part than my mom,” you admit. “I used to start crying when she would do my horns for me because she was so rough with it. If I saw her with the pad in her hand I would immediately start crying and run off, trying to hide. She’d always find me though.”

“Really?” Wyll chuckles.

“Yeah. Looking back, I feel kind of bad about the trouble I gave her when she was just trying to help me. But at the time it seemed like a reasonable response.”

Wyll and your laughter blend together, the mood becoming more light as you continue to work on his horns. He starts to tell you small bits of his teen years, talking about the trouble he used to get in.

“Alright, now that we are done with this part, it’s time to move on to the finish touch,” your voice announces, slowly putting the used product back into the bag. You pull out another bottle, this one looking more clear than the polish, but a thicker consistency. Your hand rests on his shoulder, leaning over as you show him the bottle more. Wyll feels his heart rate pick up feeling you this close to him, but watches as you start to explain this product. “This is your last step, it’s a protective coating to keep your horns shiny and helps strengthen the keratin.”

“So, I just slather it on them?” Wylls face turns slightly to look at yours.

“Yeah, you don’t need much either, it spreads like crazy.” You lean back, popping the bottle open and reaching up to his horns again.

Slowly, your hands start to rub the oil onto his horns, being as gentle and smooth as possible. It grows quiet as you concentrate on keeping the oil only on his horns and making sure it’s spread as thin as it can be. Wyll, on the other hand, grows quiet as he enjoys the intimate position you are in. It’s been years since he’s felt this close to another person, having spent years to following Mizora closely. He allows himself to drift closer to your touch, feeling more at ease now than he has the past couple weeks, possibly even the past couple years.

“And that should do it,” you reach down and wipe off your hands on your bag. Wyll snaps back to reality, giving some space between you. You smile softly down at him, then gesturing from him to look at himself in the lake.

Wyll stands up and takes a few steps, looking down at his reflection and seeing how nice his horns now looked. Moonlight now illuminated them from the shine, its a small change but it makes him feel warm. It’s the first time since becoming part infernal that he’s felt content with his new appearance.

Wyll looks back up at you, still looking amazed by the work you had done. He takes a step closer, putting a hand on your shoulder as he speaks.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, I know it’s been tough for you.” You smile softly at him.

Wyll moves closer, as if he wants to lean closer. You prepare yourself for him to do so, your body leaning closer to his until a loud voice interrupts the both of you.

“Are you two done down there or should we just eat without you?” You both hear Gale ask, followed by comments from Shadowheart and Astarion that you most certainly don’t need to hear to know that its innappropriate.

Now both your cheeks flush red, flustered by being caught by the rest of the group. As you hear Astarion make one more comment, you start running up the hill and threatening to grab your a stake for him. Wyll just stands there, watching you as you start to argue with Astarion, hearing Shadowheart and Karlach laugh at the display. His heart fills with warmth as he looks back at his reflection in the lake, seeing the way his horns now shine with the moonlight. Grabbing your bag, he slowly makes his way back to camp.

[illegiblewords]

SOME ILLEGIBLE RAMBLES AND REFLECTIONS: GALE AND WYLL AS FORSAKEN CHILDREN

Gale and Wyll share a rather unique element of abuse that I haven't seen discussed yet. Someone's gotta talk about it, might as well be me lol.

I would argue that both Wyll and Gale are being pressured to destroy themselves at the altar of certainty. Wyll pacted with Mizora in the first place because when the cult of Tiamat threatened Baldur's Gate, he was told that destruction and death were inevitable outcomes unless he agreed. Mizora was exploiting fear, self-doubt, and a double-standard in self-worth. Even in the Forgotten Realms I'm pretty sure the future isn't set in stone. There was a definite chance destruction and death could occur due to the cult of Tiamat though, and Wyll was willing to enter an incredibly abusive pact to avoid that possibility. His alternative was to accept that life is struggle and uncertainty by nature, and he does not have total control over outcomes. The idea that his best might not be good enough and others might come to harm was enough to justify self-destruction in Wyll's own mind back then. In scenarios where Wyll ends his pact, it's narratively poetic that Mizora poses the same question. This is a way for audiences to examine whether or not Wyll has changed over the course of his pact, whether he looks at himself and life the way he did originally. Mizora tells him with the same false-pretense of certainty that if he doesn't use her power then his father will die and it will be Wyll's fault for not sacrificing himself in Ulder's name. Having Wyll break the pact feels appropriate to me. Whether he succeeds or fails in saving Ulder, it matters that he makes the attempt as a free man without any guaranteed outcome. If he succeeds, it's an especially good way to spit in the face of Mizora's manipulation. She never knew for sure what tomorrow would bring. She had no right to pretend that she did. Mystra does a similar thing to Gale. Gale might succeed in destroying the Absolute without detonating the orb. He might succeed in retrieving the Crown of Karsus. He might not. Mystra isn't in it for mortals here either way. She wants what she wants for herself when she wants it. And while the scene before the final battle varies depending on choices, I had one where Gale basically started panicking because if he didn't use the orb and the group's efforts failed--he thought that everyone who died to the Absolute and mindflayers would be because of him. He thought it would be cowardice and selfishness not to kill himself. He could have gone up alone, detonated the orb alone, and made CERTAIN nobody died except for him. The alternative was to risk failure for the possibility that he wouldn't need to die too. Like Wyll, Gale was taught not to trust himself. Like Wyll, Gale believes his life and well-being are acceptable prices for 'the greater good'. Like Wyll, Gale is being told that the fault of everyone's suffering if he tries and fails is not the Absolute, not the Emperor, not the Dead Three--but him. His best couldn't overpower those enemies, so it's his fault for letting everyone down. It's his fault for not just killing himself. For Wyll it isn't Mizora's fault if his father dies. It isn't Gortash's faut. Blame falls on him exclusively because he wasn't ready to put himself back into the power of an abuser. The attempt to shift accountability is incredibly dishonest. Both Wyll and Gale are basically being put into the allegory of the foresaken child. For anyone who may not know it, the story goes like this.

There is a perfect, utopian city. No one suffers, no one fights, no disease ravages its streets, no hunger grips its people. And everyone not only lives in peace, but lives in the certainty that their peace will never be broken. There is, however, a price to this. For all the residents of that city to enjoy tranquility a single, innocent child must be sacrificed to endure unimaginable torture. It's because of this child's suffering that everyone else is guaranteed happiness. Is that child's life an acceptable price?

Most people would say it isn't. The allegory exists to illustrate how people might decide to give cruelty and horror a pass.

There is another saying that exists, too. "Those who would sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither." That is also what is being demanded of Wyll and Gale--their freedom, their agency, their efforts rejected as inadequate. Only guaranteed outcomes will do according to their abusers... except life has no guarantees.

I would argue Wyll and Gale are both effectively forsaken children, who are being blamed for balking when told to accept their torment for the good of everyone else. Their abusers condemn them for not treating themselves as expendable.

There's a difference between a sacrifice freely made as a last resort when all alternatives are exhausted, and someone making a sacrifice because they regard their own life as cheap or are afraid of failure as a possibility. There's also a huge difference when someone sacrifices themself as their own idea compared to being coerced or manipulated into it. And as a fun personal experience that accidentally illustrated the point. During my first complete play through, it happened that there were two characters in-range of the Netherbrain. One was Karlach, wailing on the thing until it had about twenty HP left. The other was Gale. Gale had no powerful spells left, and no scrolls left. But he had cantrips and he was in-range. The last move in that fight was Gale killing the Netherbrain with shocking grasp. Considering that Gale started the game with basically none of his archwizard spells, that Mystra had no trust in his capabilities and encouraged him to doubt his own capabilities, that Mystra wanted him to kill himself regardless of whether it was necessary simply because it was certain... having Gale win on the reaction cantrip felt like the biggest fuck you he could have given. Could not have asked for things to unfold better than that personally. In any case the idea that Wyll and Gale come to realize they're more capable than they ever gave themselves credit, that they aren't disposable, and that they aren't to blame for the bad actions of other people seems like a key lesson for both of them imo.

[thranduil-aran-edhil]

OK, so. Finished my first run. Gotta admit I'm not 100% satisfied with some endings. BUT NO BIGGIE, THAT'S WHAT HEADCANONS ARE FOR, DON'T WORRY I GOT A PERMIT (i'm a Dungeon Master) SO LET'S GO, HC TIME D&D STYLE BC WE STILL GOT 8 LEVELS TO GO: (spoilers for BG3 and Descent Into Avernus going forward)

They'd all stay together and continue to go on adventures, the 9 of them, Tav, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Gale, Astarion, Wyll, Karlach, Halsin and Minthara. Found Families stay together. (I do enjoy the polyship aspect too, so just throwing it out there)

There's an exchange you can have ingame with an NPC in the Guild and Tav will say the party's name is Wormskulls and I love it. I do also love Tadfools. Maybe they are Wormskulls to the general public and Tadfools to their close friends and allies lol. After the tadpoles are gone I think it would be very useful for them to commission earrings enchanted with Rary's Telepathic Bond. Less invasive than a mindflayer tadpole and just as useful. Also symbolic for Gale. I think the earring would have a pendant of a skull with a serpent coming out of its eye and being bitten by the teeth.

OK SO, my girl Karlach. I haven't romanced her yet, gonna do a run for that. But she's not dying on my watch. She's going back to Avernus, BUT YOU CAN BE SO SURE THAT THE MOMENT THE WHOLE PARTY IS READY WE'RE KICKING DOWN ZARIEL'S DOOR AND KICKING HER ASS. Or giving her her sword back and possibly turning her back into an Angel, something that whatever party of adventurers that managed to save BG and Elturel in Descent Into Avernus CLEARLY didn't do, it would probably not only nullify Mizora's contract with Wyll bc Zariel is now a completely different entity, if you decided to redo Wyll's contract with her, but also would give us a better chance of Zariel taking the infernal engine out of Karlach herself. Maybe turning Wyll into a Devotion Paladin? (more details about Zariel here)

I'd ask Jaheira and Minsc to take care of Scratch and Albie (owlbear cub) because the Hells is no place for pets. Even very brave ones. Maybe Halsin's "ending" fits here, taking care of the pets and the kids while everyone goes to Avernus, they leave him with a Sending Stone. And when they are back he's there waiting for them. 🥺

If we saved Duke Ravengard and broke Wyll's contract. (or didn't but are hcing that we broke his contract by defeating/unmaking Zariel) what does that mean to Wyll? I think it be super cool to go more in depth about it. How does he reconsile with his father? Does he accept to be reinstated as heir and becomes the Duke right away or does he think it's best for his father to continue his role a bit longer? Does he even want to be Duke or does he think he can serve the people of the Sword Coast better as an adventurer? If he turns into a Duke, what sort of benefit does that give an adventuring party?

Finding something to make Astarion able to walk in the sun again I've seen people talk about the Ring of the Sun-Walker as if it's from the 5e books, it's not, it's homebrew. HOWEVER, any freaking DM with a heart would create something similar for their player to continue playing without being afraid of dying instantly bc of the sun. The Cloak of Dragomir is canon to the Baldur's Gate videogame universe, so it be a good tie in, but it would be a temporary solution at best since it penalizes the player quite harshly, Strength: -6, Dexterity: -4, Intelligence: -2, Wisdom: -2, Charisma: -4 and Vampire Regeneration divided by 3, to 1 HP per 3 rounds. That being said, I wouldn't make it TOO easy to obtain as there are other ways for Astarion to be safe, like the Darkness spell. It would be interesting to see him (and Tav) struggle a little bit more, really feel the sacrifice Astarion made by rejecting the Ascendance even after they find something to combat the Sunlight Hypersensitivity.

Astarion's biological family would be something very interesting to explore in the future. They would be Elves themselves and are most likely still alive, we even have a surname thanks to people analyzing the shit out of that tombstone: Ancunín. As a DM I wouldn't wait for a player to decide to search for these people, I'd throw them at the players! Strolling through the Upper City in a quick shopping trip? You hear a loud gasp, things clattering and bumping into the ground, hurried desperate steps and then someone sobbing "Astarion?? Astarion is that you?!" What do you do?

Visiting Waterdeep and Morena Dekarios. This woman deserves to see her son again, and Gale deserves to finally go back home and see his mom without the burden of an ancient artifact lodged in his chest and a goddess wanting him to kill himself. Would he stay? I'm not sure, he went through an entire Odissey and maybe now home, although pleasant, is not as comforting anymore. Waterdeep is the element of Gale of Waterdeep and he's not him anymore. I think this would be a great premise for a roleplay focused arc. Gale is invited to the Blackstaff Ball for the first time since Mystra shunned him, the Wormskulls are famous now, The New Heros of Baldur's Gate (Gala Episode anyone? All of them SLAYIN with their fits? Poor Halsin totally out of his element). He's once again welcomed into the society of the Lord Mage of Waterdeep and his peers seem to have all but forgotten he was ever a pariah. Is that what he wants?

And Waterdeep has many opportunities for more adventure.

A paranoid Beholder underground anyone?

Kill the Lich Queen (CLASSIC D&D). Vlaakith IS FINISHED. TIME TO SPELLJAM AND BE SPACE PIRATES YALL. Lae'zel deserves to see this through to the END.

Shadowheart goes through another journey to find out if she wants to truly embrace Selûne or maybe become another thing entirely. Selûne should reach out or Isobel and Dame Aylin would help her out. Or maybe Shadowheart is tired of being a Cleric and following a god. But change and inconsistency is something that is under Selûne's portfolio, she's often followed by those who are lost, so I think she'd find more than fitting for Shadowheart to be a cautious and weary follower of her.

Your Tav's personal stuff. The Dark Urge sounds amazing and I can't wait to do a run with them, but I think most of us got very attached to our Original Characters Do No Steal. So I'm excited to see what people come up with for their Tavs. Otessa, my Tav, doesn't know her dad was a pirate, he never told her, so I expect that his past will come bite him in the ass and she'll have to help him out of that pickle.

When the party has reached level 17, Gale has access to the Wish spell. And I really do think they'd use it to get rid of Astarion's undeath. As a DM I wouldn't let Gale simply get the spell outright, he'd have to research it. Not only that, I don't think Astarion would be totally free of undeath, some remnant of it would linger, he'd probably turn into an Elf that needs blood to survive and is forever locked out of the Call of Arvandor or something. But he'd be mortal and would be able to walk in the sun without that ring, cross bodies of water, wouldn't instadie from pointy wood objects in the chest etc. (i'm writing a little one-shot about this, should post it soon)

[salemcantupdate]

Ok

Baldurs Gate shipping and who I am actively in love with

SO, currently romancing Gale because Astarion rejected me, full one said “I don’t wanna have sex with you, UGH, EW, imagine.” But Gale is so cute??? I don’t get whenever I see hate for him, especially cause we had astral projection sex which was absolutely fantastic. Wyll kissed me but I said “haha nah Gale” and I think I accidentally romanced Karlach??? I don’t know. Oh I also hugged the Guardian love him.

Now for shipping

SHADOWHEART AND LAE’ZEL IS SO FUCKING REAL TO ME OH MY GOD THEY GOTTA GET DOWN RIGHT NOW

They ARE rivals to lovers

Wyll and Karlach… they’re best friends. I’m sorry but all the women look like absolutely lesbians to me and I love that for them

But Wyll is so sweet and so cute and I do adore him, he’s so fun, but I built him so badly haha. Anyways, he is a WHORE, he flirts with EVERYONE, SLUT BOY, and he needs a happy ending. Don’t know with who though. And Karlach needs a short woman to peg.

Astarion is 100% asexual and I love him cause he’s just like me frfr which means he needs to be with me and only me. But also genuinely I think Astarion can only be happy with a redeemed Durge??? Like I think that’s the best path for him. Two monsters learning to be good together… GAH ITS SO CUTE. Either way, he’d need to be with someone who isn’t overly horny

Also once again I absolutely adore Gale. Gale is so good and so loving and he also absolutely loves body worship like he is hozier he was on his knees and worshipping his Goddess Mystra, loving her and now HE CHOOSES YOU IN HIS ROMANCE. HE BDKDCJKWHCISJDKWJD. I love him, so who should he be with? He’s more on the basic side overall, easy to get approval from, but also extremely romantic and loving, and autistic just like me frfr. So… actually maybe Wyll??? Wyll has some self worth issues especially after going all devil and Wyll is also a romantic? But ehhh… I dunno, it just doesn’t feel right.

Anyways, Halsin. I love the daddy bear man like YES he is absolutely fantastic and I love him so so so so much I want him carnally. But also I can’t really see him with most people haha. Maybe Gale though, imagine the astral projection scene but then Halsin is a bear, that’d be hilarious. But nah, I honestly like Halsin/Astarion/Reformed Durge Throuple. Essentially, finishing Astarion’s personal quest before initiation with Halsin will ensure that Astarion doesn’t get any self doubt. They are all on different parts of their journey for improvement, both Halsin and Astarion have severe issues with self doubt along with sexual trauma, and all of them have a “beast” inside. Durge with the Urge, Astarion being a vampire, and Halsin with his difficult-to-control wild shape. Plus Halsin to me is one of the most respectful and consent-focused characters, which I think would work well with what Astarion needs.

Ok so I wanna ship Karlach with some cute bard girl or something, someone just as fun and nice as she is. And you know what? Wyll and Gale is starting to grow on me. They’re both characters who try to “woo” Tav before doing anything, Gale with the Weave and Wyll with his dance.

Imagine, Gale teaching Wyll the secrets of the weave, likely Wyll has never interacted with it properly as his magic comes from a devil. This could help unlock Wyll and on some level separate him from Mizora. Oh wow, both these men have been manipulated and abused by extremely powerful non-humanoid women. They’re both self sacrificing gits who want to be the hero, both sacrificed much for power. I think it would start when Mizora first appears in camp, maybe. Gale would go to comfort Wyll over the transformation, maybe even compliment his horns. During the night of celebration Gale would see Wyll by the beach and offer to show him something magical, aka the Weave scene. They make some jokes and Wyll mentions the dancing, Gale prods, and Wyll says maybe another time.

GAH

I FEEL LIKE A FUCKING GENIUS

Alright, so, summary

Lae’zel and Shadowheart

Karlach and cute girl (if Alfira survived Durge I’d choose her but oh well)

Durge, Astarion, and Halsin

Gale and Wyll

EDIT: This post is no longer accurate to my views or feelings on the matter! I will write another one eventually since I actually know the characters a lot better. This was legit written before I even got to act 2 and I barely did anything in act 1

[smolgloves]

Devil Games 2

Part 1

Summary: Karlach finds out what Mizora did

Tw: mentions of murder

“So Mizora knows.” Tav's voice carried a heavy tone through the air. Tension had struck all three, a pact was made by the group that no one was to know of Freya's existence unless they were staying at camp for an extended period of time. They made an exception for that annoying bard named Volo, but a devil… that was going to make Freya look over her shoulder for a while.

She sat cross legged on a crate, running her fingers across a pebble. “Do you think she'll come after me?”

Wyll rubbed the back of his neck. “There's a chance she might, but she tends to target me or Karlach.”

“Who's targeting me?” The tiefling marched up to their three, cracking her knuckles. “Do we need to bust some heads?”

“Unfortunately not,” Tav let out a sigh. “Mizora found out about Freya.”

“WHAT?!” Karlach dropped to her knees to be eye level with the borrower. Heat radiated off her red skin. “She didn't hurt you, little soldier?”

“N-no… well she almost did.”

“She tried to force Wyll to kill her.” The tone in Tav's voice almost matched Karlach's growing fury. Their fierce eyes locking onto each other as if they were forming a psychic plan to get back at the devil.

“You should know, Freya did fight her off.” Wyll spoke up before Karlach could go into a rage. “She did shoot her before she could go through with her petty revenge.”

The flames slowly began to dial down as Karlach glanced between Freya and Wyll. “No way.”

“You should have seen her, Karlach. A fierce display of bravery, I'd say.” He flashed a grin Freya's way, making her cheeks flush a bit.

A boisterous laugh erupted from Karlach's belly. “That's fucking amazing! I wish I was there to see the look on her face when you shot her!”

“I just panicked, really.”

“Don't sell yourself short, shorty! You stopped a devil, and not just any devil- but Mizora herself!” Karlach gave another chuckle. “Take pride in that.”

There were times when Freya watched Karlach knock an enemy dozens of feet away from where they were, bash their skulls in, or simply made them cower away before they could even land a blow. Her strength was unlike anything she had ever seen before, compared to her, Freya's attack seemed miniscule. And yet, this barbarian was praising her!

“I guess you're right.” Freya responded with an awkward chuckle.

Her smile brightened. “Good, but next time, try to get me next time you go toe to toe with Mizora.”

Tav cleared their throat. “I don't think we should be hoping for a next time.”

“I guess you gotta point, soldier.” The giddiness in Karlach faded. She shot a proud look over to Freya, before jumping up to her feet. “But I'd say we give Freya the largest thimble of our finest ale!”

Wyll smiled. “I second that.”

“Me too!” Freya exclaimed.

“Alright, Alright, I'll see what we have.” Tav sighed, but couldn't help but crack a smile. “Just stay out of trouble while I'm gone.”

“But of course.” Freya giggled, but it wasn't her fault; trouble always seemed to find her, at least now she had an odd group of friends to help her out when things get out of hand.

[tododeku-or-bust]

Today's Baldur's Gate run:

Twas my first full day playing the game on my own! (Til my bf came home) My notes:

Turn based combat is whooping my ass, y'all. It's the worst part of this experience to me. My bf said I might as well make Wyll a fighter since I keep using him to "hit things really hard". He also joked that my method of "Eldritch Blast" and "Fire Ball" are in line with warlock users. I kind of just press shit to win y'all 😭 I've never been good at RPGs, I actually hate them fr. So this is a brand new, out of comfort zone experience.

This entire game is a learning curve. Like.. idk what any of this shit means. Every corner it's something new. So much lore and I'm kind of just like "yeah okay sure I'll put that in my mind". Idk what I'm doing, really I've just been going where it seems like I'm supposed to. Currently I thought I was saving Halsin. Now I'm up against 3 absolutes (?) and goblins (?) idk but I saved for the night and quit there. It's just so much to dooooo 😭

I designed my guardian and she's hot ASF. Just saying. Dark skin, vitiligo, purple eyeshadow, shaved edges and that THANG behind her. 😤

Unfortunately Gale's gotta stay behind at camp. Might die there too. I'm barely good enough at this game to stay alive in combat and figure out the plot; I don't think I'm gonna purposely find magic artefacts. Nice guy, makes me laugh; a shame to do that to him.

Why is Mizora on the cover and not Karlach? We don't support abusive demon white women in these parts. Fix that.

Wyll's face when he saved Karlach. 🥺🥺🥺 Oh poor baby. My poor baby. He looked like he was gone weep, doing the right thing. Big ole eyes. Well, eye. Gotta give him a hug.

The first six hours of the game Astarion was NAWT fucking with me. I'm too nice for this man. But, I figured out that the same tricks I use in real life to make friends is what works in game: be intelligent, feed them, and let them go on about their woes. Now he won't stop talking to me 🤣 GOT EEM!

Unfortunately it seems like I'm gonna have to play this twice to get access to Wyll's story and perspective. It feels like I'm just playing the avatar character. Though I get bits and pieces. Unless ofc this is a part of the shafted writing I heard about. In which case I'm mad.

I'm also salty that the MCs don't get a nice lil tent set up. Why I gotta sleep on a lil dinky sleeping bag and everyone else gets a cool personalized tent??

Yeah I feel like at this point I just want to see how to get to the end 🤣 idk if I can play this again to get Wyll's perspective, this shit is so hard for me as it is 😭 But I'm finding myself enjoying the characters and every single character's voice acting, if nothing else.

[cfcreative]

More Kory-as-a-BG3-Companion ideas, specifically around endgame.

I was a big fan of your companions hooking up in the background of DA:I if you hadn’t romanced anyone, so that’s part of the inspo here.

(These scenarios all assume a Korydass that has not been romanced by the PC/Tav.)

Kory will jump in faster than Wyll to go with Karlach to Avernus (sorry to steal your thunder Wyll, but I gotta. I gotta!). Kory will, in fact, insist on going. The PC/Tav cannot talk her out of it, unless they have romanced Karlach and are going instead*. Kory’s adamant that once they find a cure for Karlach, she’ll get them both home (alluding to Druids getting Plane Shift at level 13). In the meantime, Karlach “will not be without friends or flowers.” Of course Wyll or Tav could go with them, if they want.

If nobody does go with them, there’s a deep implication at the reunion party that they’ve hooked up—Karlach makes a joke about Kory making a “good mount” and when the PC/Tav says “for riding into battle?” Karlach would say “that too!” If approached after Karlach, one of Kory’s dialogue trees would lead into “Gods, did she use the “mount” joke again? I think everyone in the hells has heard it by now…”

If Tav/Wyll are together and both went, there’s still the implication of Kory and Karlach hooking up. If it’s just Karlach, Tav, and Wyll, and none of them have been romance by the PC, there’s implications of a polycule forming, albeit slowly as they’re juggling dealing with the engine and potentially Mizora as well.

If she doesn’t wind up in Avernus (because Tav has romanced Karlach) at the reunion party you find out Kory has tagged along with (Selûnite) Shadowheart and is helping her with the farm/animals. It’s ambiguous if they’re together together but they’re both overwhelmingly enthusiastic about taking the Owlbear home with them. Kory had been looking for him for weeks after the final battle. She will transform into an owlbear and run around with him for a bit right after it’s decided he’s going home with them.

If for some reason she doesn’t wind up in Avernus or with Shadowheart at the farm, Kory has taken up the position of head of the park restoration of Baldur’s Gate. To be clear, nobody asked her to, but nobody can work up the courage to tell her “No” so she just takes it over. Someone spreads a rumor that she’s related to Ansur in some way (Astarion, probably) and the Dukes of Baldur’s gate relent fully and put her officially in charge of it… not that they would have been able to stop her.

Kory’s goal is the city to have a better balance of nature and urban life. She plans on expanding the number of green spaces in the city, starting with getting rooftop gardens set up in the lower city. If asked about it she’ll say: “Everyone’s pouring gold into upper city. Someone has to look to the people who don’t have as much, and fresh food will alleviate some of their suffering.”

There’s no fucking way “at the farm Kory” or “Park restoration Kory” has let anyone other than herself or Tav adopt Scratch.** “Went to Avernus Kory” would not have wanted to risk him getting hurt there though 🥲.

[paarthursass]

well i GOTTA ask ""you haven't changed." "...do you mean that in a good way or bad way?""

exes to lovers dialogue

"You haven't changed."

Aurel did not meet Wyll's gaze. They sat within a breadth of each other; Wyll's hands were warm as he bandaged the burns on Aurel’s chest. 

He had borne burn scars on his back, once.  It seemed only fitting that now he would bear the reverse; a symbolic branding of the change he had undergone.

'I could only obtain one Scroll of True Polymorph. Karlach required it more urgently than I.'

"That's not what I meant," Wyll hissed.

Aurel almost missed the intimacy of when they had both carried tadpoles in their minds; the effortless psychic link that had cropped up between them, even back when Aurel was so desperately trying to hide himself from Wyll.  He could have re-established the connection now; his own psychic powers were strong enough, and he did so dearly wish he could just know what Wyll was thinking instead of trying to interpret the cadence of his voice and the way he breathed. 

But it would be an invasion of privacy, and it would mean facing the full force of Wyll's grief. 

Aurel grieved himself enough.

'Then say what you mean.'

"You broke into Mephistopheles' library, Aurel!"

'Yes,' Aurel replied plainly, still not facing Wyll. 'We have spent months chasing inconclusive leads among Zariel's forces. Conversely, we knew with certainty that Mephistopheles' realm held tomes and scrolls of every arcane spell in existence.  And with Hope’s House holding a portal to Cania, it was more efficient to steal a scroll from him than to chase flimsy rumors to every end of Avernus.'

"Don't do that," the small part of Aurel's heart that was still a man twinged at how Wyll’s voice broke. "Don't try and speak to me like you're just a mind flayer."

'I am just a mind flayer.'

Aurel felt bile rise in his throat.  He snapped his head to the side to turn his cold, violet gaze onto Wyll.  HIs old lover paused in his work, his dark devil-eye staring back unflinchingly.

There was a time he could have read Wyll’s face with ease.  He would have known what the clench of his jaw meant, or if the way his fingers trembled were from anger or grief.

Or perhaps he had been fooling himself, lost in the throws of new love, and he didn’t know Wyll at all.

'You and Karlach have been putting on a pantomime. Whether for my sake or to ease your own grief, I do not know, but what I do know is that Mizora was right; Aurel died that day in the Astral Prism. His soul has left for the Fugue Plane, and I am only an echo of his memories. I am an abomination to illithid-kind, and a cruel reminder to you.'

Wyll’s jaw flexed, his lips pursed into a thin trembling line — grief then.  Of course.  The man he loved was dead. 

Once, Aurel would have pulled him close to chase those tears away. He would have cupped his face in his hands, kissed his cheeks, held him as he wept...

His mouth was no longer made for tenderness, but for cracking through skulls and gorging on the grey matter within. His hands were warped into cold, slimy claws that inspired more disgust than warmth. His closeness would only bring Wyll more discomfort.

That seemed to be all he brought Wyll nowadays.

'Well, you need no longer continue this farce,' Aurel went on. 'With the Scroll of True Polymorph, Karlach can inhabit a new body free of the Infernal Engine. The two of you may return to the Material Plane.'

"You're not coming with us?" Wyll's voice broke, his remaining eye large and wet and grief-stricken.

'I will not force you to endure my presence any longer,' Aurel turned away. And he cursed his ceremorphosis — not for transforming him into a monster, but for making him this incomplete thing that still wavered when faced with Wyll’s forlorn gaze.

'There is ample food for me here, and I will take pleasure in knowing I am thinning Zariel's forces as I feed.'

"Alone?"

He hated how quiet Wyll's voice was. Why didn't he hate him? Why were they both clinging to a ship they both knew was sinking?

'I cannot be what you want,' Aurel said stiffly. 'I have told you; I am an echo of who Aurel was. I am a living reminder of your dead love. You need not suffer me any longer.'

"I don't suffer you."

'I see how you look at me, Wyll!' Aurel snapped his head around to look at Wyll once more, tentacles flaring. 'You do not see me; you see a dead man you once loved. You saw how Mayrina dragged along the rotting corpse of her husband; I will not be your Connor!'

Wyll flinched, as did Aurel — surprised by the force of his own psychic lashing. Every time he spoke he tried to keep a tether on his telepathy, tried to keep himself from probing too far and sharing too much but in that moment...

"That's really what you think you are," Wyll breathed, his eyes wide. "A shambling zombie trailing after me?"

Aurel's tentacles twitched, and he turned so he could no longer look at Wyll's large, sad eyes.

'Mizora was right,' he said again. He could almost hear her shrill laughter, echoing on the winds of Avernus. 'I am a worm wriggling around in a dead man's brain. I recall his life, his feelings, as if they were my own...and when left to my own devices, I still trick myself into thinking I am him.'

Aurel was quiet for a moment. The balcony doors were open, the rust-red sky of Avernus plain to see. The faint smell of sulfur wafted in, but in Raphael's old boudoir the smell of incense still overpowered Avernus's acrid stench.

They had killed Haarlep here. The incubus had leered at him, tongue tracing their fangs as they looked to make Aurel their next meal, and Wyll had held on to his hand so tightly, as if he was afraid one lecherous look from the incubus would pull him away from his side.

Haarlep hadn't taken him, but only a few days later...the Netherbrain, the Emperor, Orpheus...

'I thought about it.'

Aurel glanced back at Wyll, cheeks wet from silent tears but eyes soft with confusion. "Thought about what?"

'When Orpheus said what needed to be done,' Aurel turned to look back at Avernus. He couldn't look at Wyll, not when admitting this. 'I thought of asking him to do it instead.'

Wyll went quiet. Aurel did not know whether it was grief, or disappointment, or shame that caused his silence, but he persisted all the same.

'The rightful Prince of the Githyanki; their best hope of liberation and ending Vlaakith's tyranny. I thought of asking him to become illithid instead. Worse, I thought it would have been better to let the Emperor feed on him, to let them kill him and take his power, because that would have meant it wouldn't have to be me.'

The carefully maintained dam of his telepathy cracked again. Just a little as his grief, as his anger bubbled over. But it seemed to be enough; Wyll's lips parted, his eyes widened as the torrent of Aurel's emotions seeped through.

'I thought to damn the Githyanki people — Lae'zel's people. I was weak, and I was terrified, and all I could think about was how I wanted to go to that dinner with Karlach and Fytz. I wanted to see Gale’s tower in Waterdeep.  Hells, I even wanted to help Astarion find a new home for him and the other spawn.'

Aurel's entire body had gone rigid. He shook, his claws digging into the sheets of the bed while his tentacles trembled as he stared intently at the wall.

'I wanted my father to recognize me when I went home,' he could not sob, not anymore, but the flood of thoughts and feelings felt nearer to hysteria than he'd been in a long, long time. 'I wanted us to have more than just that one night under the Wilden Oak. I wanted to go to sleep at night by your side and then kiss you awake each morning. And I wondered to myself, 'Could I?' Could I sacrifice the freedom of an entire people just so I could wake up each morning with you in my arms?'

His whole body trembled as those emotions ceremorphosis should have snuffed out spilled over into the air. A small, broken gasp escaped Wyll as he felt it, as all the rage and grief and shame that Aurel had been so desperately trying to hide all these months spilled over into the light.

'I was almost so weak. Weak and stupid and selfish. And I have spent these past months trying to convince myself that it was worth it. That becoming this was worth sacrificing our future.'

He didn't think he was capable of this anymore. This rage, this overwhelming grief, this pain. 

The baubles on the nightstand were rattling, even the bed seemed to be shaking as his telekinesis bubbled within him. 

He hadn't felt this raw and uncontrolled since he was an adolescent.

He forced himself out of the bed and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to blot out the everything as if that would stop this.  Stop him.  

He couldn’t. 

It wasn’t just him shaking now; he could hear the bed rattling against the wall, the water in the bath splashing.  Something fell onto the floor and shattered.  He couldn’t stop.  He couldn’t.

And then there was a clawed hand on his arm.  Tentative; just a brush against his cold skin, but enough to share its warmth.

Aurel shuddered, and with that his telekinesis calmed.  The rattling stopped, the House of Hope stood still once more, and Aurel stood there with Wyll hovering inches away.

Aurel stepped away from him.  Out, further, onto the balcony.  He turned to stare blankly out at the barren landscape of Avernus, at the red mountains on the horizon and the smoke rising in the distance.

I will never see the mountains of my home again.

I will never see my father again.

'It is bad enough that I must spend the rest of my days feeling sorry for myself, but I cannot, will not bring you down with me, Wyll. I will not have you standing by my side out of duty and staring at me while you mourn the man you love. That is no life, not for either of us. So leave; go with Karlach back to Baldur's Gate, grieve me, move on, and let me die here knowing I took as many of Zariel's soldiers with me as I could.'

A shuddering exhale escaped Wyll. He was right there, right behind Aurel. He could feel his breath on his neck, could feel the prickling of his warmth on his back.

"Is that what you want?" Wyll asked, his voice ragged and raw.

Aurel closed his eyes.

'What I want does not matter.'

"It does."

'I cannot have it,' Aurel snapped. 'Don't you see, Wyll? I want you to look at me without shame. I want to be able to walk with you in the sunlight. I want to see my father again, with you by my side. I want...I want to be me again.'

A shaky, rattling exhale escaped through Aurel's teeth as he looked up.

'But I am not. Even polymorphing back into my original body could not change that. I am...I am not him. But I don't know who I am when I'm not him. And I do not think I can ever know.'

This was why mind flayers forgot who they were. This was why partialism was such a taboo to them. No mind flayer would be able to survive this agony.

Aurel almost felt sorry for the Emperor. Deluding himself into believing he was still Balduran, that he was better as a mind flayer, had to be the only way he could survive such a thing.

Ansur really would have done him a mercy if he'd killed him.

A pair of warm arms wrapped around Aurel's middle. He tensed, his breath hitched as Wyll rested his forehead against Aurel's back and squeezed with his arms.

"Why did you go to Mephistopheles' library alone," Wyll murmured.

Aurel trembled.

'Because it was dangerous,' he said. 'Because if I failed, then you and Karlach would still be safe.'

Wyll's breath hitched as he squeezed Aurel.

"That's what I meant," he sighed. "Oh Aurel, I’m not leaving you here.”

‘You must.’

“No.”

Aurel tried to pull away, but Wyll only loosened his grip enough to spin Aurel around - to force them eye to eye while Wyll grabbed his shoulders.  His claws dug into Aurel’s skin, and his eye blazed.

“You haven’t changed,” he insisted. “You’re still the same as you were before.  I should have known from the moment you agreed to jump with Karlach into Avernus without a thought; you’re still the same man who bargained with Mizora for my soul, who risked a sinking prison for my father…who became a mind flayer to save the world.”

Wyll was crying again.  The tears were running freely down his cheeks, spilling onto his tunic.  Aurel stared at the dark spots dumbly as his head spun.

“And then you went and stole from Mephistopheles, and you could have just helped yourself but you didn’t.  You thought…you thought I didn’t love you as you were and you still thought to save Karlach first.”

Wyll’s claws dug in further as he stared up at Aurel, and he gave his shoulders a firm shake.

“I’m not leaving you to sacrifice yourself to Zariel’s forces,” he said. “You’re the same.  You’re the same.”

Aurel wished again to reach out his telepathy, to feel the edges of Wyll’s mind so he might know.

But instead he just nodded his head, and he relished the relieved sob that escaped Wyll.

He wanted to believe this. 

Even if it was a lie.

[ferinehuntress]

◈　 ⇢  @shimmerbeasts　 ⋯　 umprompted ask ♡ 　　⸻　"You have a lot of nerve, pulling a stunt like this."

Mizora's usually sultry and soothing voice was carrying several sharper edges in her cadenza. Standing in the summoning circle, the Cambion's wings beat up and down and her expression was one of complete malice as she stared down Karlach, who stood only a few infuriating inches out of the summoning circle. Between them lay a pile of dead gnomes, whom Karlach had all beheaded and drained, gathering the blood in a pit. It was this blood, which had forced Mizora up here.

The Cambion's flaming mad expression mellowed out abruptly as if somebody had doused her in water. Her lips pulled into a charismatic smile, however, her yellow and red-tinted eyes did not match that smile. Still, Mizora's voice returned to its charismatic, calmer cadenza, an almost idle chatter as if there was not a canyon of animosity between her and the tiefling in front of her.

"You clearly went through a lot of trouble getting me here, Karlach", Mizora said, "So the least I can do is hear you out. You gotta admire the conviction though. How long did it take, to fill that pit with blood? All night? Or merely half an hour? Can't really tell with you."

Karlach let out a growl, the guttural tone echoing against her throat as her engine flared after the battle against the goblins. "Do not start with me," Karlach immediately reprimanded the Cambion, pointing her finger directly at the winged fiend. She never cared for any cambion, but Mizora, oh, she wasn't worth her time either. So-called under Zariel's protection, Wyll's "keeper" (oh if she could just chop her down right now she would enjoy it). The only good devil was a dead devil. But it was vital, she had led the band into this attack and it was vital to do so but still, it didn't mean that injury or accidents couldn't happen.

Her tail thrashed behind aggravated, the tip of her hook hitting the ground as she narrowed her eyes toward her. She had had enough of devils, enough of these twisted fiendish beings that took advantage of people.

And yet, she smiled. Karlach knew though, behind those eyes there was that disgust. They had never seen eye to eye, the woman had done everything she could to torment her and gods forbid Zariel PROTECTED Karlach. She hated it, she hated feeling like some kind of pet in Zariel's collection and Mizora took offense to it. No, Karlach wanted nothing to do with either one of them. "Oh, I didn't do this for you," Karlach sneered as she waved her hands. "They were already dead before I even had a sliver of a thought to call you, you were never on my mind when I took them out," Karlach waved her hand, as she glanced down toward the object that kept Mizora from lashing out at her. Thank you Wyll, she quietly thought, as she never knew how to summon devils or how to prevent them from attacking on sight. The diamond in the skull was the one thing preventing her from doing anything against her.

"Just shut up and listen already!" Karlach waved her hand. "It's Wyll, the goblins had some kind of poison, I don't know what. You got your fancy schmancy ability to move on the material plane from place to place and we don't have time," Karlach said, as she moved over and placed her foot on top of the skull that kept the cambion bound to the circle.

"I can shatter this so you can go to him, but I am making no deal with you. Either you save him or not, he's your protege after all, its his pact you have to worry about," It tasted bitter on her lips, to even be talking with Mizora about this, but she knew she would not be signing any contract, no deal, no agreement. She was not going to bind herself to anyone. Her fingers tightened around the staff of her axe, the end of it pressed against the ground as she waited for her answer, keeping her foot steady, not that she even half trusted with she might say, but this was her protege, and perhaps it might give a little push for her to do something. 

[shewhowas39]

chapter 16 sneak peek

chapter 16 of Juniper & Starlight is underway. so here's a sneak peek, featuring our first bit form Wyll's POV! i love my sweet monster hunter boy. and there hasn't been nearly eough of him in htis fic yet, so here we go.

***

Wyll Ravengard has always been a morning person. He loves the sound of birdsong, the first warm rays of sun, and the promise of a fresh start a that new day offers. But since his transformation a few days ago, mornings have carried much less joy for the Blade of Frontiers. And a big part of that is the damned horns. 

Wyll frowns and rubs the back of his head as he comes out of his tent for breakfast. He still hasn’t figured out the most comfortable way to sleep with these heavy things on his head. He spent far too much of the night tossing and turning, finding a comfortable position only to wake up with a cramp in his neck and the need to do it all over again. 

He is so tired, but he refuses to let it ruin his usual good mood. That’s exactly what Mizora wants, after all. To see him suffer - even in these small ways - for his act of defiance. 

He doesn’t regret it, though. And he especially doesn’t want Karlach to worry that he might regret it. 

“Hey, Wyll!”

Speaking of the not-actually-a-devil. 

Karlach bounds over to him, a huge smirk on her face. She shoves a bowl of porridge into his hands, careful not to let her fingers actually touch his skin. 

“Goodmorning, Karlach.”

“Goodmorning! But I don’t think either of us is having as good a morning as June.” 

He raises an eyebrow at her. “Is that so?”

“Well, I hate to gossip… Ah, that’s not true! I love to gossip! It’s so nice to have people to gossip with!” She leans in, the grin on her face widening with glee. “Guess what fangy little elf was seen crawling out of June’s tent not even ten minutes ago?”

Wyll frowns. “What was Astarion doing in June’s tent?”

“What do you think?” Karlach asks. “No, really, what do you think? Because apparently his trousers were still on, which takes my theory off the table. Unless… I mean Gale did catch them snogging in the wine cellar the other day.” She waggles her eyebrows. “I’m not sure if vampires can even have kids, but if they can, those would be some gorgeous, curly-headed, pasty little things.” 

“To my understanding, true vampires can - in the right circumstances - have dhampir children. But it’s exceptionally rare. In all my years hunting monsters, I’ve never encountered one. Vampire spawn, though, I’m fairly certain are infertile.” He takes a bite of his porridge. “Besides, you may be jumping ahead a bit. They’ve only known each other for a tenday. And he may have just been in June’s tent to talk to her in private.”

“Don’t ruin my fun,” Karlach says, waving a hand. “I’m writing the romance novel in my head alrady. Gotta live vicariously through someone until this engine gets fixed.”

“We’ll get it taken care of, I promise,” he says. “We have the infernal iron now. We’ll go see Dammon as soon as we can.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I’d say there’s no rush, but…well…” She taps her chest. “There might be a bit of a rush.” 

“Wyll?” 

Wyll and Karlach turn to see June, dressed in tight leather trousers with a magenta shirt tucked into the belt, walking over to them. Her hair is pulled up into a messy bun with loose curls framing her face, and Wyll can see the two small holes in the side of her neck. An answer to what she and Astarion may have been doing this morning in her tent. 

“Goodmorning, June,” Wyll says.

Karlach just grins and winks at her.

“Morning, y’all,” June says. “I”m rael sorry to interrupt. But Wyll, can I talk to you for a minute? There’s something I keep meaning to ask you about.”

***

not sure when this will be up yet. Tuesday, maybe? so stay tuned.

[dwarfsized]

16 19 35!!!

thaaank you for the get to know your fic writer asks!

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

you hate me

it is. 25. :^) i dont think any of these would surprise you but one that i dont believe ive talked about much on tumblr (and which is languishing on the back burner) is a story where Wyll knew Mizora when he was a child, when she was in human disguise and working as a Flaming Fist guard for his father.

someday, sweet baby Wyll. i will come back to ruin your life.

19. What is your most-used tag on ao3?

you mean besides "other additional tags to be added"

its "Tiefling Tav" at 5 uses, followed by "blood drinking," "body horror," and "vampire bites," each with 3 :) which seems low! gotta get those numbers up

35. What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain?

one thing, though by no means the only thing, is that their motivations have to make sense--to them. for the kind of person they are. they dont need to make sense to the protagonist. they sure as fuck dont need to explain their motivation to the protagonist. but you need to know why they're doing what they're doing, and the internal logic for the villain needs to make sense to the villain.

there's room, naturally, for villains who act and dont quite know why they're acting. but if you've got a character who is amassing power and has henchpeople-- or just, like, employees-- there's a reason they're able to gather that power or employ those people. how are they able to do that? that needs to make sense.

[greyias]

Me, quietly, desperately trying to find a reliable guide to some of the triggers in Act 3, because I may have gotten myself into a pickle, and Ari may never sleep again because:

Having exhausted everything to do in Rivington that I could find (rip strange murder ox), I saved and:

Waved my junior detective badge at the bridge (among the five other objects in my possession I could have used), and immediately had Gortash hitting me up to watch him be crowned super duper duke of everything Baldur's Gate

Having heard that you shouldn't sleep after that because it'll just happen/people will wind up dead(??) I went inside, talked to Mizora who taunted Wyll because devil's gotta devil man, then explored the coronation room and triggered the coronation scene

Where naturally he tells me that Orin's infiltrated the camp teehee

We pick up the notification that Florick is in prison (scheduled to be executed)

And I head back downstairs and suddenly Mizora's like "Oh haha Wyll your Dad who you literally talked to five seconds ago has been banished to prison Imma visit you tonight at camp so we can chat"

And I'm like "well... shit", because that sounds like a nightly encounter.

So because I was quicksaving like a fiend during all of that, I backed up and experimented with seeing what happens if I long rested right after the coronation but before talking to Mizora, and suddenly I get the scene where Orin reveals who Ari's randomly selected kidnapping victim is: Lae'zel

I'm also presented with an insanely high (DC 25) persuasion/intimidation check in order to prevent WANTON CHILD MURDER. So I'm further like "well... crap", and so it seems that the moment Ari goes to long rest, kidnapping plot is on. Other fun things the internet seems to think will happen, but I can find no consensus on:

Can I walk past the coronation scene and put if off so it doesn't, you know, trigger the child murder DC check? Is it a proximity trigger? Or a timing trigger? Do I just not short/long rest before starting it?

Can I long rest and still have Wyll talk to Mizora post-coronation scene? Will that conflict with Orin's murdery murderness? Can I even walk off and do something else before walking back and triggering that?

Since I started the Open Hand Temple Murders and entered the lower city, if I long rest before warning the victims on the list, do they all die? I should probably do that right?

Apparently the poor circus dryad may not have had to die??? If I had just talked to two other people in Rivington first? RIP Dryad lady but that's way too far to go back and retrace our steps

If I trigger other things does that delay the kidnapping plot reveal? Because like, it kind of seems like maybe I should go save my kidnapped friend from being ritualistically murdered. But I'm getting conflicting information on: how safe kidnapping victim is for how long, if killing Orin triggers some endgame stuff and locks out other quests

Because if the answer to any/all of that is "uh yeah, get chopping", then before precious yodeling paladin can sleeps, she must:

Attend a coronation

Talk to a devil

Finish solving the murders

Find all the potential murder victims and warn them so maybe they don't die

Do a prison break

NOT trigger any more time and or proximity based missions

THEN save a tiny child from death by passing a very difficult DC check

Like game. I love you. I love you a lot. But this ridiculously interwoven web of intrigue without knowing if I'm going lock myself out of content or risk having to backtrack literal hours of progress is not super duper fun.

Also I really should've rolled back and gotten that super buff at the beginning of a day rather than near the end. So you know. She can have an extra +d6 to prevent the child murder.

My kingdom for a proper guide that lets me know when it's safe to, you know, sleep. Without people dying.

[optiwashere]

Hi just wanted to say from one trans person to another I love your trans headcanons and the way you depict various characters as trans, the T4T dynamics, the dictotomy between ones who are more like irl people who've been on hormones for a while and ones that are more fantastical, it's delicious it's great I'll eat it tf up every time ❤️‍🔥✨

Gender is a metaphorical buffet and we can pick and choose what parts we wanna devour 😋

Trans Karlach with trans Shadowheart is definitely one of my personal favorites, they're so goddamn cute and sweet together, I will gladly devour more content about them any day 😈 also trans Lae'Zel, she can get in the cuddle pile too, as a treat

Having said all that, I know you mainly write transfemme characters since that is what you know the best, but do you have any thoughts on transmasc characters? I'd say Wyll would do fantastically as a trans man and it'd add another layer to being rejected and kicked out by his dad so to speak. Also his pact with Mizora could give him a monster devil cock as one way of gender affirmation, as you do. T4T Karlach and Wyll is very important to me ❤️‍🔥🥺

Right out the gate, I just want to say a blanket thank you! 💜 I love writing the varied experiences of trans women, just like you said in your very kind words. Sometimes it's more heightened and intense and super explicit and matches one group's experience, and sometimes it's very lowkey and not very graphic, if it's graphic at all, and matches others' experiences. There's an infinite variety of trans women out there, and I try to match what I know with my friends and others while sprinkling on our version of the fantasy on top (heh)

I love to hear it, and I'm hoping to write as much Karlach/Shadowheart as I can manage between my beloved OC ship as well as all the rat posting.

I've mused over trans Minthara before, a drow trans woman is so JUICY for familial trauma and how to be the "correct" kind of woman. But trans Lae'zel I haven't! Her experience would be so interesting as a githyanki...

So, eventually I'll have to add a bit about this to my FAQ in a way that makes any amount of sense. As much as I would love to write transmasc characters, I'm just not convinced of my ability to do it justice without either falling into fetishism (either in smut or trauma fetishism) or requiring the kind of care that I don't really think I have the time for right now.

I'd also want a beta with sensitivity reading/editing experience for that specifically, and I'm not in the market for one at the moment!

I saw a post here musing about trans Wyll and I love it, and frankly I want everyone to have a giant pile of trans fics one day. But I'm only one woman, and my skillset is only in one area, sadly. T4T Karlach and Wyll would be magical, I agree.

Trans Wyll in particular works so well for all the reasons you described. He's so young, he's dealing with a lot on his plate as it is. Adding in familial issues and fears of rejection leading to self-rejection? That's good shit.

Gotta trans 'em all.