#larian shenanigans

[lexicorp]

tried the Danny Phantom style of @soliac-snecc 's floof gorl! was /very/ interesting tryna do

they have a funky combo of sharp AF and a sprinkle of round lel

[kv-lore]

The Writing on the Wall

In the wastes between worlds, the kreket species manages a meager existence marred by constant loss and uncertainty for the future. This story follows Zellek, a high-ranking kreket in the Jaspen Clan, who is struggling with the recent failure of a mission. This is a low-key horror story which is meant to lend itself to interpretation, but it isn't written to be confusing.

2816 words, or about 9 pages long

Themes: Death, Inevitability, Dread

Kreket species ref by @alphagodith is here

You can also find the original PDF for this story on my FA here

Under the endless dark of the space between universes, lit only by the light of the Infinite River, Zellek cursed as one of his obelisks of depleted ley crystal abruptly half-exploded into a sea of dust that cascaded down into the Abyss. Left behind was what looked now to be some kind of half-eaten bone, and the name once carefully inscribed onto its surface in blackened blood was barely legible.

B A _ L _ _ N E | J A _ P _ _

On one hand, it would be foolish to rebuild it. The multiverse had claimed sovereignty over what was rightfully its own; and, clearly, this was a less stable spot than Zellek anticipated. On the other hand, while the rest of the obelisks stood, it would be of the utmost disrespect to not attempt to rebuild a shattered comrade.

It took another two pulses of the River for the three spires to stand strong together again.

Zellek knelt in front of them all with quaking muscles. Whatever words he could say would be for his own fleeting benefit, and whatever words he could write upon this crystal would not be enough. This would need to suffice.

“I’m sorry,” he could not help but whisper as he hauled himself to his feet. A quake shook the platform. The sound of more crystal tinkling into space rang in Zellek’s ears. Even as he tried to ready himself to leap to another blasted floating platform, a violent rumble made him stumble and recalibrate before making the jump. He did not look back. He did not stop when a boom from behind rattled through his plated scales, and he forced himself not to blink as he threw himself onto a huge shining pillar. His back spines and talons stabbed into it with a criiiik, but it held firm, and he did not hesitate to scuttle upward, ascending ever higher toward the Infinite River and the upper layers of the floating isles.

Gods damn it all. It was selfish of him to want to keep their monuments separate from the rest. Even if he had scouted that lonely abode countless times for exactly this purpose, even if trying to set the obelisks up at the current resting grounds would come with a wretched, inquisitive audience, and even if he had told himself the last time that he would never add more names to that list, those reservations were all excuses to not do what had to be done.

“I know this must be your doing,” Zellek growled to himself as he climbed farther and farther up the towering pillar. Even not considering the lesson the multiverse seemed to be telling him, the feeling, too, was unmistakable; a twisted, cold hand grabbing and wrenching his heart, all while his muscles still shuddered from the strain of doing their job. If he wanted, he could shift his cells and cut off the neurons to shut up their incessant firing, but he did not. He wasn’t a coward.

With a grunt, Zellek leapt onto a towering mesa supported only by scraggly strands of fading ley-energy which stretched into the abyss far below. Even after cycles and cycles, gravity still remained the same here: weak and pathetic, as if it had given up on grasping anything worthwhile that passed it by. No wonder all the old towers the Jaspen clan had built were long gone. Did they sink into the collective, endlessly flat mass? Did they simply drift away? Did they disperse into particles so fine, no trace of them could be sensed? Nobody would ever know, because there were no living witnesses of the catastrophe, nor was there any remaining evidence. Still, there was a place Zellek wanted to stop by, if only to take a moment to rest and delay his responsibilities further. There was time. Too much of it, in fact, but, regardless, Zellek shifted the form of his legs to layer them with more muscle so he could propel himself far into the distance with each bounding leap and hurry up the mindless commune. Plus, each bound had the added benefit of telling him just how deep into the wastes he threw himself. It was one of the only consistent ways to not become lost.

It took approximately fifty six and a quarter leaps to arrive at his first nesting ground; but, while he was sailing through the forty ninth leap, he spied a glint of bright cyan among the endless dark purples and blue-blacks. The glow of another life form. Thus, another kreket. They were tall, lithe, and they were here, a place only the eldest would have reason to care about.

It had to be Lathriss. Visiting this place was not something Zellek had seen her do before, but Tarren, the only other option, was not a sentimental type of beast. Her head was facing away from him, and she didn’t move even as Zellek came to a skidding stop almost an entire leap away from her. Had something happened back with the rest of the Jaspen clan in the Spires? No, otherwise she would be with them. The only reason she would be so far removed was if she expected to not be sought out for a moment. The thought made Zellek smile as he got on all fours to crawl quickly across the field toward her. What delicious justice for him to be the one to suddenly hop in on her moment of isolated peace for a change.

“I can hear your scuttling,” she growled as he came close. “Speak.”

“My first monuments, which I attempted to build on the outer rims, erupted, so I will be rebuilding in the resting grounds shortly.”

“You were foolish for attempting to build anything in an unmarked space, Zellek.”

“Maybe, but this place is proof enough that nobody can ever predict what is stable and what is not.”

Her low and lengthy chitter was one of displeasure, and when she turned to see him getting up onto his hind legs, he half expected to be kicked back down. Now that would be reminiscent of younger days. Instead, she stepped forward and grabbed one of his back spines to look it over.

“You’re nearly out of room to paint additional rings of remembrance. If I didn’t know better, I would say that, as the common denominator, it is your fault that so many teams do not return.”

“I’m better at running away than the rest.”

“And,” she growls, pushing him away, “you’re our closest mouthpiece to XeXa. Perhaps, before It grows bored of you, helping others gain Its favor is where you would be better served.”

“Noted.” Great. As if he knew why XeXa entertained his quest and so quickly came to his rescue during times of crisis. If she started asking him those questions again, they would be trapped in a loop for ages. There are real answers to be found elsewhere. “If allowed: a question about your motives here.”

“Go ahead.”

“Nostalgia, to pay respects, or as a place of comfort and silence to think?”

“You’re bold for suggesting the first option.” Lathriss’ tone is as cold and dry as the Abyss. “It should be obvious that it’s the third.”

“There are plenty of other places which would serve that purpose better.”

“And?”

Of course she would make him admit his insinuation, even though she knows damned well what his answer will be. “I’m saying I’m not satisfied with your answer.”

“And I’m not satisfied with the three options.” Lathriss stepped up to tower over him, her fangs showing through her deep frown as her back spines twitched. Her tone grew shaky. “You’re better than those types of suggestions, Zellek. Black and white. Either or. Why do you come here? The answers you say you’re looking for won’t be found in an unmarked graveyard. Or is this where you meet XeXa Itself?”

Turning the question on him struck Zellek as a natural avoidance strategy, but there was no reason he shouldn’t answer. As long as they remained on topic, he could circle back around to what he wanted, and more effectively so. “To pay my respects and to remind myself of what came before us.”

“There was nothing that came before us. It was always “us”, and I do not understand why you would treat them as others. We still bear their name and we still carry on their work. I know how you feel about that, but as long as I remain”—she patted the stylized number one painted onto her leg as proof of rank—“then we will continue our defiance. At least you appreciate their legacy enough to not let their names fall entirely into the Abyss.”

Zellek bowed his head and emitted a two-toned affirmative chitter, but she still grabbed his snout and neck to upturn his gaze and squeeze him into submission. They locked eyes. He didn’t make a sound, nor did he move. Her claws dug into the plates on his neck, leaving lasting puncture marks over the three slashes of leadership they both had painted onto their necks. Such defilement was a show of power, nothing more. More concerning was when her hand slipped from his neck to his back, pushing him into her chest.

“You’re lucky I’m so patient,” she whispered, leaning her face down close to his. “But after cycles of toying around with each other—such as when these nests were still standing, or during all that time we spent building the new home, and now, when you leave me to govern while you run around trying to find the secrets of life— I’m growing to expect something more. Our clan needs the guidance of our union, or our ranks will endlessly dwindle. You know this, but you run, because you don’t like obvious paths. You never did. Consider this your only warning.”

Finally, release. When she stepped away from him, Zellek’s muscles still remained tense. Here he came to rest, not to stand vigil against somebody who he should be able to trust. As he brushed his hand over his neck and reformed his three slashes, a light heat alighted his chest. “If you saw my point of view and put more resources into my vision for the kreket, they could already be under the guidance of “our union”. Instead, we continue leading doomed missions into the universes for the sole long-standing purpose of “defying the gods”, just as our ancestors did, as if displays of defiance have ever done our species any enduring good. Your own stubbornness to not recognize that failing holds you back.”

“I could say the same thing about you, Zellek.” Her mandibles clacked together in frustration as she lowered herself onto all fours. A combative stance? It could be, so he swiftly followed suit; but the next chitter that left her was a long, low one while her back spines wilted. “Everyone, including myself, would better understand your vision if you could decide on what it is. Last I heard, you were still looking. And I, still waiting. I won’t apologize for being restless, nor will I apologize for doing my duty.”

The heat which had stormed Zellek’s heart shifted into something that made his abdomen ache. He couldn’t look her in the eyes any longer, his face twisting into a snarl while his own mandibles also clacked together. “The wait frustrates me almost as much as it does you, but I can’t let myself die without knowing what we are here for. As I currently understand, that is the reason why I have XeXa’s favor. It’s not easily passed on.”

“Clearly not.”

Lathriss turned, her whiplike tail still close enough to whap Zellek’s snout. Petty, but justified. When she moved to leave, prowling in the direction he had just spent all that time leaping away from, he chittered for her attention and fell in line by her side. “I already have plans of something to do before I rebuild the monuments, but I would not be opposed to discussing an effective strategy of approaching the enemy if that’s what you think is necessary. We have plenty of time before we return.”

A relieved smile crossed her face, but she swiftly shoved it away to don her “stern leader” look. Even when they were alone, in the middle of the remnants of nests they once matured in, she still thought she needed to mask. A deep cold pinched Zellek’s heart again, taunting him with its unease while he and Lathriss had their age-old conversation about tactics on the trek back to the Spires.

There, they split paths with a promise that whatever Zellek had planned wouldn’t take long. Weaving through the nesting district was a slog of constantly telling the others that he would explain what happened on his last mission in the upcoming pulses and to leave him be. To their credit, they stood aside quickly, and he was allowed to ascend up to one of the many takeoff pads without further harassment. There, where the culmination of work from hundreds of cycles of kreket runic scribes was written, he crawled on all fours into the center and dug in his claws. Heat first surged through his plates, then his skin, then his blood, before it all was sucked away by the lines drawn into the crystal. The platform cracked and rumbled, alight with new shimmers of blue life, while a familiar chill slipped into the place where heat once surged through Zellek’s body.

DOUBLING BACK FOR A SINGLE ACT OF DEFIANCE IS A MOVE THEY WILL NOT EXPECT OF YOU, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL HAVE A COPIOUS AMOUNT OF TIME.

The platform’s surge of movement upward pushed Zellek further into the ground as he looked up to the shining universes surrounding the Infinite River far above. His eyes burned from the strain, but he didn’t stop his scan until…there it was. The shining surface of the universe his strike team had been expelled from.

YOU HAVE OFTEN ARGUED THE FUTILITY OF LEAVING A MARK UPON THE UNIVERSES, YET THOSE THREE DEATHS PUSH YOU TO THIS LEVEL OF ACTION. YOU ARE GROWING DESPERATE, BECAUSE YOU DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT THE ANSWER STARING YOU DOWN.

“Entertain me,” Zellek growled before he was propelled into the light. As requested, he was whisked away to the only world supporting life, and according to the whim of XeXa, he was thrown into the savannahs during dry season. Anticipating a chase, small critters immediately yelped and skittered away from the new hulking beast that had entered their midst, but Zellek only sleepily pulled himself to his feet with blurry vision and scowled at the scenery. Scattered, gnarled trees. Low lying plants that blew according to the constant winds. There would be no isolated mountain cliff face or safeguarded cavern here for him to make his mark. No settlement was in sight to vandalize. No roads to deface.

It was ludicrous that the kreket were ever jealous of the way the inhabitants of this world lived. An easier life was still a life. A beginning and an end, whether short or long. Meanwhile, the creatures of this world constantly lied to themselves, while the kreket experienced the depths of what the multiverse had to offer so completely that there could be no denying it. What was better, living a luxurious lie or living a nightmarish reality?

TRUTH IS WORTH ANY COST.

Fungal growths, glowing with intense magic no other nearby living organism could handle, were already beginning to spread across the low lying plants; a clear mark of XeXa’s presence and impatience. The wind had grown ever stronger, and with it an odd, eerily familiar scent. The scurrying of the animals had grown louder, as if they, too, were trying to run from some ill fate.

“Fine.” Zellek slammed his claw into the closest tree and began carving into its toughened skin. First, a semi-circle. Then, four dots beneath it. Left, middle-left, middle-right, right. Three lines filled the empty space between the dots, converging onto a central point in the space below the semi-circle. Finally, he added the final line extending down from that point.

THAT’S ALL? THE SYMBOL OF YOUR CLAN AND NOTHING MORE?

“They’ll get the message regardless.” Zellek stepped back from the tree and tried to take a moment to admire the clean lines left behind, but the air was growing hotter and hotter. Fungi continued to spread, and their glow nearly blinded him. Though Zellek did not dare to turn around, he felt XeXa’s hollow eyes staring through his back. Better It than the protector of this universe, who would be eager for a second helping of kreket. Either way, his time was up. “Enough. Take me home.”

A wave of nausea shook through Zellek’s abdomen as he came face-to-face with unyielding, consuming light, then the stagnant dark of the Abyss, then the dull light of the crystals that made up the Spires the Jaspen clan now called home. It was time to get back to work.

HE NEVER SAW THE WILDFIRE THAT HAD BEEN BEARING DOWN SO QUICKLY MOMENTS BEFORE.

[reagan-the-saunders]

Today on "Reagan's BG3 Shenanigans"...

We are apparently sleeping with our heads in the roaster while poor Belivyne lays dead from blood deprivation.

[y-rhywbeth2]

"Alfira's death will haunt you forever."

Speak for yourself, Narrator, I forgot she even existed until you reminded me. We knew her for all of two minutes and she made less of an impression than some of the other randos I killed. Alfira is a cheap shot at trying to make me feel something and it failed because it's cheap.

If she'd been some big part of the game otherwise, maybe there'd be some bonding or sense of loss, but she literally just exists to be killed for some vague grab at the heartstrings that missed mine.

[saltyowlets]

What's better than one Bhaalspawn? ITS TWO!

Featuring my durge, Olive and amazing @henriethsmile 's durge, Zorn!

[bhaal-battle-beer-bard]

🎼🎵💧🌊💧🎵🎼

Because there were none new clothes mods for PS so far, Larian FORCED Saulus to go naked! 🫵🤷🏻‍♀️

It was ok for her and Astarion. Created a new (nighttime) bathing routine with some whistling 🎶

🎼🎵💧🌊💧🎵🎼

[escxelle]

my one (1) bg3 criticism

i'm really enjoying baldur's gate 3 but i have one bone to pick with it... there are no characters with welsh accents (that i'm aware of - i've just started act 3, please correct me if i'm wrong!).

the fantasy genre as a whole has always used the welsh culture, language and mythology yet we get no credit for it T^T for example dragons (we literally have one on our flag...), random y's instead of i's (looking at you wyll, wyrm's crossing etc. - also wyll pronounced in welsh would be completely different which i find so funny)

i know these things aren't exclusive to wales but they are large parts of it! a lot of other mythologies also mention dragons and a lot of other languages also use y's a lot (fun fact y's in welsh are vowels!) i don't blame larian for this but they do have other characters with accents that aren't just english RP so... i didn't think it was too much to ask for :/

not only that, but the thing that annoyed me the most, and is the reason why i'm making this post in the first place, is that they will have characters called cerys, gethin and iwan, which are traditional and common welsh names, but they still won't have welsh accents :(( (they even pronounce cerys differently T^T) like come on larian!! it's so disappointing, especially as a welsh fan :(

just one welshie please <333

update: i spoke to someone called ffion... another very common welsh name and still no welsh accent 😭 (though it was via a spell so i can give them the benefit of the doubt... again)

another update!!! i talked to an npc called caerdwyn (a very welsh name!) who had a lovely welsh accent :))

[harpershigh]

Então né é réveillon e eu tô no brilho na varanda da minha mãe vendo o respingo de queima de fogos atrasados na Baía de Guanabara então vim pro Tumblr postar merda grammarly save me

I wanted to thank all my beautiful friends of this rpc, the very first rpc I joined out of brazilian fandom, in a foreign language. Thank you for your kindness, your patience, and all the understanding you showed me this past seven months.

A very special thanks to @spiderwarden because Mel was THE inspiration for me to join the RP, and for all the advice and guidance given. Also thanks to her I met some of the nicest people on this website ILY QUEEN

@adorectrine thank you for being the very first person to hop in and embrace my OCs so lovingly, I hope we keep creating so many more little worlds together bestie

@rubistella , @fiendishfinesse , @demonwebs AQUI É O BONDE PESADÃO DAS BR TOMANDO A PORRA TODA KKKKKKK vocês são as pessoas mais legais desse site e EU AMO VOCÊS

@shimmerbeasts anyone who looks thinks "HOW TF THOSE TWO GET ALONG??" But YEAH we make our shit work despite the abysmal differences and I think this is SOOOO FUCKING COOL I'll look forward to keep throwing chaos at your inbox for a whole new year

@starsofnyx WIFEEEYYYY and also HUSBAAAAND I'm looooooving to ship with you and I hope to make my muses make out with every single muse in your blog we get to write much more fun things together in the year to come

@silvertiefling babygurl we barely started to write together and I already love you so much, here is to more sapphic shenanigans in the future

@abib918 talk to you is always a blast! I'm really glad for the amazing time my gamedev buddy <3 the senior citizens activities are on fire btw

@viconic my beloved you're a gem and our senior citizens and a middle aged one are having so much fun together it hurts, if Larian won't give us a proper Vicci X Jaheira WE MAKE OUR OWN YEAH

Shout out to @avernusfuries , @dicethrow , @whomuses , @baldurianrogue , @scourgeofaverrnus , @iron-hearts-ablaze , @chaoticbard , @bloodtwin , @accultant , @warwaited , @relentlessgrief , @ I can't possibly expect to remember everyone I want to swipe from the floor in a hug and spin but know that it applies even if you're not mentioned!

Also shout out to all the wonderful personals who follow and interact and scream about Jaheira with me, especially @jennycalendar who I dream about writing with I owe so many good headcanons and good content of this blog to! I love you Celia!

@graciescribbles , @bigdingus1234 , @githyankidanky , @thecubspeaks YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

I know I'm crazy and I can't thank you all enough for enabling my insanity writing and going feral with me!

It's been an honour to meet you all, IC and OOC alike!

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!! ♥️♥️♥️

[lexicorp]

"Strained Strings"

definitely was not planning on doing a full rendered piece ngl-

went in like, "I'll jus do some silly doodles", and came out like 🫴 XD

these two (Darren top and skestur bottom) definitely have something going on

they've never been an item but more of like, not very healthily connected to one another.

both have a nice deck of mental illnesses, and things eventually crumbled with the lies Darren tells being brought to light and skestur being salty as hell bout it which makes Darren freak out as he loses control over his stress toy basically-

the billford content ngl made be start thinking about these disasters

Song that is very much this vibe: "You are the beginning" by the family crest

[zachdefense]

Larian really said this one's for the gay bears

[sequesteredbhaalspawn]

Thinking about how Bhaal wasn't resurrected until 1482 and therefore couldn't not have been a part of Durge life until that point, and all of Durge's action before then would have been their own (The events of Blood in Baldur's Gate, and the murder of their foster family, if they're a paladin then the slaying of their order, etc).

Like yes a person could go to the Astral Sea and go talk to Bhaal's corpse there (BG3 falsely states that dead gods end up in the Grey Wastes with Milil. When deities die there corpses are sent to the Astral Sea, and since the gods existsed as Avatars in the Time of Troubles it would apply then as well). Dead Powers can not personally interfere with stuff. I guess some shenanigans could happen with the Winding Waters under Boareskyr Bridge (or whatever is left in the Moonshae Isles), but it's not likely.

LIKE I know it's because Larian literally just doesn't care, like at all, but I really need to know how Bhaal created Durge while he was dead. LIKE if Durge was just a normal Bhaalspawn when it wouldn't be such an issue. Bhaal could just program their birth to happen at a certain time if certain circumstances where met (but then default Durge couldn't be a Dragonborn since they didn't live/exist on Toril yet, not until 1385- Bhaal was killed in 1358).

I'm just stuck, again, thinking about how Durge's timeline makes zero sense. Ignore me.

[shewolfofvilnius]

god wyll's entire SPEECH the first time you camp in act 3 about the city of baldur's gate and how much he loves it (with extras if you're baldurian) is just too much c'mon larian let me marry this man. plus you get insight into the teenage shenanigans Wyll had been up to before Mizora got hold of him and it's so adorable. (I have no idea which of Wyll's three endings i'm going for but also I NEED TO SMOOCH HIM)

[y-rhywbeth2]

Lore: Dating, Marriage, Sex, etc

Part 1/2

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. There's a lot of lore; I don't know everything. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest, etc etc etc]

DnD isn't exactly a dating sim, so most of this lore comes from mining Ed Greenwood's answers to questions, but since his answers are apparently canon unless and until contradicted in published realmslore, here you go.

It's mostly in regards to human culture (and the Heartlands, Waterdeep etc at that) but I'll throw in some demihuman stuff here and there.

So sexuality, and the norms and moral values Torilians build around it: More tolerant and kinkier than Earth, for the most part, and still not a perfect bed of roses. (You won’t face legal oppression; you can get called slurs.)

Attitudes in the Realms

Dating

Sex (and a bit about contraception and conception)

Sexual Orientation

Polyamory

Cut for space and expected in the follow up: marriage, sex work, religion, and the absolutely deranged shit going on in some noble families.

-

Attitudes about relationships in the Realms

The long and short of it is that the root of Toril’s mainstream attitude towards sex and relationships draws from the sexual revolution of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Cultural variations on and subversions of these norms occur, but the rule of thumb, especially as it applies to the video games is as follows:

Sex is not a terribly big deal nor innately taboo; pseudo-puritan attitudes are solely the province of some old high priests on a few religions in a minority of a minority. Virginity and the loss thereof is meaningless unless you're nobility.

Pretty much anything is legal so long as all parties involved are capable of giving and gave consent on most of the planet (though legal isn’t the same as ‘approved of’).

Of course TSR, and later WotC, fell very much on the side of ‘we can’t publish that!’ So it got massively obscured. It only really came through now and again, usually in sly little hints that could get past the radar/editors, becoming more obvious with 4e and 5e (Although Sune and Sharess were flat out stated even back in 2e to ignore gender when they’re in the mood to seduce mortals, and we'd already had Mystra saying that gender is basically just a costume for gods (which Mask illustrates.))

The Realms itself still has bigotry to go around, of course, but generally it's the clergy of a select few gods and the nobles who'll make a fuss about such things, and the latter only in regards to their own social circles and inheritance shenanigans. A traveling merchant who encounters a culture that practices forms of relationships he personally disproves of was probably raised to be polite and keep the slurs unsaid; diversity encourages trade, offending your neighbours does not.

What is and isn’t morally acceptable to an individual is determined by church doctrine and dogma (which determines many of life’s aspects, including love and sex and what's good or bad (chastity vs promiscuity, monogamy vs polygamy, whether procreation is mandated or not or even a sin, if loving people instead of despising them is a sin or not, and what acts are taboo))... and all that as interpreted by the local priests, who may not agree with their fellows’ interpretations. Some gods declare chastity a sin and want you to engage in as many romantic and/or sexual relationships with as many different people in as many different ways as humanly possible. Loviatar mandates BDSM and Ilmater doesn't frown on it either.

Most deities probably aren't going to discriminate. Gods see the universe in terms of their portfolio: what aids it is good what opposes it is bad. Most portfolios aren't terribly impacted by mortal love lives and hormones so I suspect the vast majority of gods could not care less, and, as per Faiths and Avatars, the gods 'generally try to be as liberal as possible to try and attract as much worship as they can.'

With Toril being polytheistic all of these gods are due respect and conflicting dogmas are just a fact of life. Several times a day a person is likely to be confronted with a choice – usually a minor one – where one action will serve some gods and be a sin in the eyes of others, and the rule of thumb is that everybody accepts you can’t please all of them all the time. You live according to the gods you favour above all others and respect the faiths of those you don’t: you expect that people will mind their own business and do them the same courtesy.

In the majority of the realms, including the cities and realms of the Heartlands, Silverymoon, Waterdeep and etc, at least, people are open minded and tolerant. A rule of thumb is that cities are more liberal and rural areas more conservative, but even then their norms and values don’t necessarily match the modern earth norms that might spring to mind; the nuclear family unit is not necessarily seen as default and polyamory is very common in some villages.

Largely, there’s not a whole lot of emphasis put on identifying your sexuality or making it a big part of who you are: most Torilians wouldn’t understand the point of drawing attention to sexuality outside of occasions where it’s actually relevant. If you were visiting Baldur's Gate and pointed out two men getting married at the temple of Tymora the people around you would be utterly confused about why you felt the need to single out the gender of the couple.

‘Individuals may find [queer relationships] too much for themselves to handle, but the laws and general attitudes of society don’t frown on it.’

You may have to ‘pick your neighbours and friends’ to live comfortably, but that’s significantly easier to do on Toril than Earth especially because you should have no reason to worry about persecution or discrimination under the law for deviating from whatever moral code a particular priest might be espousing.

Bastard children and wedlock don't cause a fuss so long as you're not a highborn (or found to have cheated on your partner, one assumes).

Contraception is widely available and family planning is emphasised; you are firmly encouraged to use it in a dangerous world where famines and disasters mundane and supernatural mean babies at the wrong times can lessen the chances of survival (for you and them).

-

Dating

Somebody who catches your eye is 'glim,' as in 'oh no he's hot' or 'she's well fit' or whatever. A Torilian who's very attractive is 'right glim.' As in they're 'glimmering.'

A term for a pair of lovers is 'brightbirds.'

Your 'fancyman,' 'fancylad,' or 'fancylass' is what your disapproving relatives will call your lover that you insist on seeing for reasons that escape them.

Waterdhavians call the target of their affections their 'rose,' which may get confusing as in other dialects a 'rose' is the slang term for a submissive woman in a Dom/sub relationship.

Red and black are considered the erotic/'sexy' colours. Garments featuring black lace and leather in particular.

Many priests, curiously, seem to find potential partners more attractive if they get a tattoo of their deity's holy symbol.

You can advertise your interest by wearing an artificial rose pinned to one shoulder: red signals that you're looking for a long-term romantic partner and black shows you're looking for sex. If the rose is made of steel then it indicates you're looking for a partner of the same gender. Wearing multiple roses indicates you're looking for multiple partners, but you might expect some raised eyebrows or comments if people think you're being overconfident. It's very rare to see women doing this looking for men, since it's thought of as a 'man thing' (wlw doing this to seek each other out apparently don't count to said men).

Sunites, as devotees of the goddess of love and beauty, are available for matchmaking services, advice and make overs.

Dancing - especially erotic dancing - is a large part of courtship trends across the cultural board. Which might tie in to the fact that all the goddesses of lust and love - Sharess/Zandilar, Sharindlar, Sune, Sheela Peryroyl, and to a certain extent, Lliira - are dancers or have dancing as a thing within their faith. Lliiran clergy give dancing lessons, and Sharessans and Sunites probably don't mind teaching either.

The only description of what a one might wear if one is feminine and wants to dress up and look fancy in human culture - the equivalent of a 'little black dress' - is a simple black gown with a high collar and plunging neckline in the front (the latter of which is optional). It's matched with a sash and boots and some small jewellery. If you want to 'dress down' the gown is pinned open to expose either bare skin or the underlying chemise (if you're going for a 'classy' look it'll be lacy and white).

Dwarven courtship involves a slow exchange of crafts made by ones own hand (this can be tools or physical artwork or things like poems and songs, the point is to illustrate your skill and the care you put in). You send it to the dwarf you're interested in, and hopefully they respond in kind. You then spend years doing this and slowly getting to know each other, eventually moving in and seeing if you can settle into something that can last past the initial spark before tying the knot.

Elven courtship apparently involves poetry, songs, and yet more erotic dances.

Drow have courting games called 'spider hunts' usually played at festivals by young drow, which are basically hide-and-seek.

-

Sex (and a bit on procreation)

You can't just fuck somebody right in the market square, but borderline public sex hidden on a rooftop, or ducking into an empty alleyway is pretty common and tolerated behaviour. You are, however, encouraged to keep your shenanigans off the streets lest you 'scare the horses,' take yourselves home or to the nearest festhall/brothel, and keep your 'public displays' limited to appropriate festivals (Greengrass, for example, which is a fertility festival and usually involves dropping all inhibitions for the day).

Lingerie comes in black and red and lace clouts (underwear) and dethmas (bras) which can be readily bought in most cities. Lace-up boneless corsets and shapewear are available as unisex garments.

Sex toys named as existing include whips, dildos, clamps and 'tingling creams.'

I've heard something about halfling orgies, but have found no details beyond 'exotic food.'

And in the Realms you're more likely to say 'rutting' rather than 'fucking' when being vulgar/casual about sex. Unlike 'fuck' it doesn't seem to double as a curse.

If you're considering bedding a priests be warned that as gods are said to derive power from having their name said aloud priests tend to call their gods name in bed. Fervently. The enthusiasm and emotion behind it is supposed to have a positive effect.

Elven foreplay involves sensory deprivation and ear nibbling.

Contraception, as mentioned, is stressed upon. People are concerned about plagues, famines, monsters and other concerns that lead Faerûnians to place a lot of importance on family planning. Contraception is generally delivered via divine magic - a cleric or druid can render you temporarily barren/sterile, guarantee conception or freeze a pregnancy at its earliest and least detrimental stages to be resumed at a safe date. People can ensure that their children will be born in times when it's best for them to be born. Elves have apparently mastered birth control, and it's basically impossible to get a child from an elf when they don't want one.

You can also ask the gods nicely and if you make sufficient offerings the deity can also rearrange your organs a bit to change the way you procreate (or possibly allow you both methods). Generally people will ask the deity they have the most positive relationship with, but Sune and Lliira are the favoured choices in the pantheon. Of the gods not recommended are Bane, Shar, Malar (whose idea of the perfect transformation is lycanthropy) and Selûne (who gladly supports you, but she's considered too mercurial and everchanging. She's not one transition she's eternal, ever shifting transition beyond the human physical endurance or mental comprehension.)

Arcane magic can manage physical modification via transmutation and glamours, which people often play with either as part of exploring their gender identity or just for fun, but transmutation via divine magic is vastly superior at allowing you to be fertile after the change if that's a goal. Arcane magic struggles with that. Arcane magic that allows for surrogacy and sort of IVF apparently exists, having been invented by a pair of liches that wanted a child for whatever reason, but I don't know how commonplace that is.

-

Sexual Orientation

Most people freely experiment in their youth, working out their preferences. Heterosexuality is the default, with bisexuality making up a sizeable second place and other sexualities constituting a fairly sized but unremarkable minority.

Obviously, the Isle of Lesbos does not exist and so neither does the world ‘lesbian’; Toril doesn’t have Earth’s terminology, it has its own words. It should be noted that some can be used in a derogatory fashion, although, considering reality, they could very well be reclaimed or have been stolen terminology twisted into slurs. The given terms, in Common, are:

Thruss - Lesbian Liyan - Gay man (elvish slang loanword) Praed - Gay man (gnomish slang loanword) Tasmar - Bisexual (masc.) Shaeda - Bisexual (fem.) (elvish slang loanword) 'No-thorn' - Asexual

Butches (‘harnor’) and effeminate mlm (‘dathna’) are liable to get scorn for their gender presentation more or rather than their sexuality.

-

Polyamory

In some lands (unspecified which ones) it's unremarkable and even expected for a relationship to be open by default.

While obviously it's not socially acceptable to jump into anybody's bed with no consideration of your partner's feelings on the matter, it's not a foreign idea to see love and lust as separate concepts.

In rural areas one can find villages that definitely don't follow the nuclear family model with mixed families living under one roof, and symbolic polygamous marriages may factor into the traditions of some seasonal festivals. For example in Turmishan a farmstead is traditionally inhabited by a family consisting of four married people, usually two men and two women.

[jadewing-realms]

one day, i will write an astarion origin novel.

it's in the universe, it is a goal for my future, I call dibs, look out wotc and larian, I'm coming for your boy.

aka my brain wouldn't shut up yesterday and now I have a vague plot concept and an imaginary trailer that won't leave my head.

the trailer opens with a fancy carriage with a personal entourage rumbling down the road. a shot of well-adorned wrists, pale hands turning the pages of a book, voice-over of Astarion describing a city, building up with a sense of intrigue until the footman goes "City ho, my lord!" and one poised hand parts the curtains over the windows to reveal a young Astarion with moon-green eyes peering out. his expression goes from curiosity to his signature smirk before there's a sweeping shot of the city itself, as the monologue culminates in its name.

Baldur's Gate.

we get a montage of shots of exciting things happening across the city, bright lights and bazaars and dances and clubs, then we watch the carriage stop in front of a grand manorhouse, where awaits an elf with longer silver curls and matching green eyes, who addresses Astarion with handsome head high and a familial grin. "Well, if it isn't our newest magistrate. Vianavia, baby brother."

"Solaire."

some glimpses of this guy in regalia, on a judge's seat, High Justice Solaire Ancunin. voiced over with something like "Mother thinks the city will ruin you. I, on the other hand, think you have what it takes to make it yours. Just follow my lead; I'll teach you everything you need to know."

the two brothers traversing the city, from business to leisure, ending at a gala, where solaire catches astarion by the shoulder to subtly murmur to him, naming the most crooked political figures in the room, ending with some big crime boss or something who he describes as someone who thinks himself Untouchable. then solaire gives stari a smirk. "And we're going to ruin him."

escalating montage of legal drama, noble finery, cloak and dagger shenanigans, glimpses of slums, solaire clapping astarion on the back, toasts with the crooked politicians, the two pouring over documents, solaire demonstrating a spell bc wizard, stari escaping out a window with someone in pursuit, a gur settlement in the city… ending with stari delivering a final, condemning statement in court. then a few more rapid-fire clips, including one of a group of gur with weapons drawn, before we cut to black and a dramatic pause.

then the darkness blinks groggily away before we get a shot from the ground, looking up at the city night sky, where an out-of-focus cazador leans over, looking smug. "poor little boy. i told you this city would eat you alive."

End.

[catt-nuevenor]

No prizes for guesses what I've been playing...

I'm going to put the Read More split really early in this post so if folks want to see absolutely nothing from Baldur's Gate 3, be that for personal preference or spoilers reasons, then they can easily avoid it.

That said, I won't be putting any screenshots in that would spoil important plot points, just my favourite shots of my character up to shenanigans.

In brief, the game is an absolute triumph, both of craft, and of writing. Well done Larian Studios, my hat off to you with the utmost sincerity.

Beware minor visual spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3 below:

Now, let's have a look at my girl, shall we?

Umrae, so named after another morally good aligned drow from the D&D universe. Did you really expect me not to do some background research before making a character? She's a Four Elements Monk.

I highly recommend giving a drow playthough a go if you're umming and ahring about it. It's a point of personal pride for me when a NPC starts by going '*screaming* DROW! She's come to kill us all!' and Umrae offers them a cookie instead.

I've been taking screenshots like an absolute (no pun intended) mad woman, so if there's an interest for folks to see what else I've been up to in the game, let me know. I've got so many to share.

[escxelle]

you know i made this post and was thankful for larian for having a backbone and keeping true to the original narrative they wanted to go with without succumbing to the masses but seeing what they did with the ascended astarion kisses??? hello???

don't get me wrong, i am an astarion girlie (gn) but i am solely a spawn astarion girlie (gn). ascended astarion is just as bad as gortash, if not worse. you guys do know that it isn't hot to glamourise abuse right?? that abusers shouldn't be babygirled?? abuse shouldn't be sexualised, right!!!??? honestly i'm more disappointed at larian than anything "yeah we won't give gortash a romance with durge but we will romance an abuser who you're essentially a slave to <3" like what, are we meant to say thank you???

romancing ascended astarion is fine if you're playing an evil character for narrative/roleplay reasons or want to explore all sides of the game or even to explore an unhealthy, toxic and abusive relationship with the comfort of knowing that it's fiction and will never happen, it's your game and it is fictional so what you do with it is none of my business however to then go onto tiktok and twitter to tell larian that you want the romance between your pc and an abuser to be more romantic (even making mods to do that is fine because at least then you can get what you want and the rest of us can carry on with the original narrative larian wanted) but please be real: leave villains to be villains, let evil people be evil. ascended astarion will never love you because he is an evil manipulative abuser !!!!! wake up !!!

all of this and meanwhile they give wyll content that should have been there since release and it still doesn't even compare to the amount that astarion has (also idk if it's just me but half the time wyll's dialogue doesn't even have subtitles even though whoever he's talking to has subtitles above their heads just fine so idek what he says half of the time... great update bozos) i'm so tired, it's so frustrating

TLDR: yeah i've lost a lot of respect for larian, the fandom and even for astarion's character after patch 7, i won't lie

P.S. same as last time: if you're going to whine about astarion being fictional, please just block me. i'm not going to bark back and i will just delete your comments, i don't care for those half-assed excuses because if he is just fiction then why are you taking about it to a stranger on the internet? let me rant in peace

i saw an article the other day that had the headline along the lines of 'baldur's gate 3 fans are sad to hear that you there is no lord gortash romance plot' and i'm usually a very open-minded person but... maybe i will second guess the bg3 fans in question...

i was geniunely scared of him when i first had a conversation with him in act 3... he's a creepy, slimey, horrible, disgusting man and yes i know he's fictional but his whole presence just made me nervous, sick even. i can't see why anyone would like him let alone want to romance him...

he's a fantastic villain yes. his actor (idk who he is sorry - please tell me!!) did a wonderful performance, the way that he's written and the story-telling is insanely good but it's because of that excellent performance from the devs, the actor and writers that it just feels too real...

of course, if you're doing an evil playthrough then it makes sense to be nice to him and whatnot but do you really have to romance him too? :/ there was a reason why the game didn't come out with a gortash romance and there's a reason why the devs still aren't putting one in, maybe think about the reasons behind that other than "but he's hot" or something??