#my ship had sailed

[pickletrip]

This is all I needed!!!!

[zillychu]

I feel like what the world needs aren't messages like "do your best and all your dreams will come true!" but rather "no matter your success, you can still be happy!"

we need more media telling us it's okay to fail. that most of us fail. that trying your best and not succeeding doesn't mean you effort was wasted. that you don't need to always try your best for everything. do what you can, when you can, and realize that no matter how things turn out, you can still find a way to be happy day to day. dreams come and go, it's okay to miss your catch and watch them pass by or change into something else entirely.

life is always full of opportunities to be happy!

[beauregardlionett]

did i rant to my friends about dorian and orym just to be called a simp? yes i did. and i'll do it again.

these two characters? consume my waking thoughts. because just fucking think about this from a timeline/literary point of view for a second with me.

orym lost his husband and his father-in-law (who he always calls dad because he didn't have a dad growing up) in a violent attack on his leader a while ago and whatever magic was used to kill them kept them dead - no reviving magic worked to bring them back. in the space of a single attack, he lost two of the most important people in his life, and now he's a widow who still mourns and loves in equal measure even while far from home trying to save the world. he loves even though he's scared of losing again.

dorian is a runaway heir to a title he never really wanted, a musician for himself, a charlatan hiding behind an easy smile, who has really only ever wanted to see the world in his own time and make real friends for once in his life. and he did that! all on his own! he was with the group at the beginning of the campaign but then they ran into his older brother who was in trouble and needed to lay low and dorian went with him, falling back on old instincts that family by blood comes first. he ran from the group and from the foundations he was building with them. because dorian has only ever run from the things that scare him. but now he's back, re-traced his frightened footsteps toward the daunting promise of tomorrow - not yet with the group, we're getting his side of the story first. and he even said it himself, that he ran from the group and now he's not sure why he did it, why he left, when he stands here now and realizes everything he wanted was already in front of him.

they have sending stones, a once a day chance to say something to each other in 25 words or less. they've been using them, keeping each other updated on where they are, that they're still alive, and kindling this flame even without dorian at the table, without even seeing each other, and liam has been carrying this torch alone for 78 episodes but damn it the flame is still lit regardless!

and orym always updates on their progress and location first, and with whatever words he has left he drops in a sentiment to remind dorian that they still care - that orym still cares. and orym is practical through and through, he's a strategist so he always always always uses his words wisely because he's so fucking limited by this spell but the last message he sent? he repeated himself, he admitted a weakness, he faltered.

he told dorian where they were. he asked if dorian could come their way. he admitted to struggling while his voice broke. he asked again but in a different way if dorian could come their way. he ended the message with the most heartbreaking "fuck, i miss you," i have ever heard in my life.

orym, the man who messaged dorian 52 episodes ago and said "glad you're not here, wish you were anyway." because they're constantly in danger, and he wouldn't wish that on dorian, but he still aches to have him near. orym, the man who confessed 13 episodes ago during a trial with his friends that he's lonely, that he misses dorian and sometimes he thinks it's okay and sometimes he doesn't - because he was married and is still mourning and how dare he have feelings for someone else? how dare he move on even when his husband would WANT him to be happy again? he indicated dorian was missed by everyone in three of his previous messages before the trial, before finally shifting to 'I, orym, me - it's me who misses you'.

and dorian, the one who replied to a message orym sent him with "stay steadfast, sending you fairer winds" in the most longing tone i have EVER heard. dorian, who kissed orym's forehead when they parted ways but that is the closest they have come to acknowledging whatever is between them. dorian, who has been to orym's home between exu and c3 and met orym's mom and knows about orym's husband.

when orym died 58 episodes ago, he went limp and the sending stone slipped out of his hand because he was trying to message dorian before he died, before he ran out of words and breath. before he was revived, there was a moment he stood in the beyond and saw his husband and he told orym "you're not done," and orym said "i really wish i could stay," and then his husband said "i'll still be here," and orym said, heartbroken, "oh, i miss you so bad."

he told dorian, "i've really missed you," and "fuck, i miss you." i miss you is orym's way of saying i love you.

they're so close. they are so close. and orym fully died 19 episodes after dorian left, but he was revived and then never told dorian via sending that happened. part of me wants dorian to find out and the other part hopes he never has to feel like he failed orym by leaving. because nothing could have changed that from happening, not even dorian.

they are so close to reuniting, orym has needed dorian back for WEEKS and he's so close. i'm begging them to hold on so they can hold each other again.

and, again, from a literary point of view, you know the wildest part about all of this?

none of it is scripted.

[yes-no-maybe-soo]

My toxic trait is that I keep telling myself that the 3.0 update will give us Sylus' missing 3 and 4 stars, his anecdotes, his bond, and more orbit floors and also that Tobias shall be yeeted to the depths of the Abyss where he belongs 😔💅

[enbeemagical]

one difference in Odysseus's and Percy Jackson's luck is that Percy's godly dad doesn't play favorites and therefore sea voyages are about three thousand times easier especially after Percy and his friends blind Polyphemus (again)

another reason is that Percy is a 21st century teenager and not an ancient Greek warrior king and would not do things like killing a baby

[aleksanderscult]

What do you think are fundamental differences between Aleksander and Kaz? On an even playing field i.e. comparing a young Aleksander to a young Kaz and the very old Aleksander to your interpretation of what a very old Kaz would be like.

I haven't read the SoC duology but from the few things I know about Kaz, the most important difference between them is the matter of selfishness. Aleksander is selfless in comparison to Kaz and has a more important goal than gaining money. He tried to save a group of people and a country from various enemies for hundreds of years while Kaz always is on the look out for the next job that will fill his wallet.

Both of them had a childhood that shaped them to the men that they eventually became. Kaz lost the only family he got while Aleksander was living on the run with his mother (and Baghra was not a pleasant, immortal companion to have). The environment they grew up in formed their future plans but in different ways:

- Kaz grew up among thieves, street magicians and crookers and ever since his brother died he had nothing left to lose. His feud with Pekka Rollins gave him a lifelong grudge that became an essential part of his character.

- Aleksander grew up with his mother travelling from place to place, never safe because of their powers. Just like Kaz, his incident with Annika shaped him to the man we came to know in the trilogy but unlike the former, he decided to act on a larger scale because he was a witness to the Grisha persecution.

So even though both were scarred because of their childhood they decided to take different actions in the future.

Now, as we've seen with Aleksander in his later years, he was still fixed on his goal but he had grown bitter with life and more apathetic in comparison to his younger self. He was a pragmatic and action-oriented person that craved companionship and when he had his chance to have that he behaved with panic at first and then with gestures that showed that he no longer had an idea how to go for it in a normal way.

With Kaz we see the opposite. In the beginning he's distant and cold with his friends, behaving in a business-like manner but as his own story progresses he tries to become more open, especially with Inej. He tries to find his footing in being more empathetic for her sake and I believe in the future he will succeed. He won't be as closed off as he was the first time he was introduced to us. But he has a long way until then (it's the trauma he has to get past you know).

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

Idril was blonde and Tuor was blond, but the cosmic force of Melian’s maiarin genetics prevail once again and deliver to the peredhil the same pale skin, grey eyes, and raven hair that they delivered to Lúthien, to Dior, to Elwing, and assumedly every single Dunedain down to Aragorn. The unconquerable gene will eventually rule all. This explains why introducing one (1) idiot can kill all future geniuses, and a good deal of people should take it into account.

[upper-echelon-h3arts]

When you read one Stefonnie fanfic & realize they could have easily been a couple in canon.

[vinceaddams]

My former roommate has these horrible top heavy water glasses that I kept knocking over - I think I spilled water all over my sewing table or nightstand at least 5 or 6 times a year while living there. I didn't have any water glasses of my own, so when I moved out I had a think and got a couple of thick bottomed glass beer mugs from the thrift store. Much harder to knock over! It's only been a few weeks, but hopefully I can go a whole year without any such disasters.

[thefirstknife]

Hi Bel,

I keep seeing comments about people complaining about the quality of destiny’s writing and story in the last few weeks. I haven’t really engaged with destiny since season of defiance, what’s currently gotten everyone so riled up? I thought that people were enjoying Season of the Deep/Witch in terms of narrative, why is Season of the Wish causing people to deride the destiny writing staff again?

I don't know!

Deep and Witch have been absolute bangers in every aspect to me. I've been enjoying all interactions and lore tabs we've received. A lot of them are stuff that we've never had before, a lot of reunions and closures, a lot of development and interactions between characters who you wouldn't really think would have much in common.

Sloane's return and healing from what she's been through has been fantastic, Drifter opening up with her to help her because he also got help from others was fantastic, Sloane reuniting with Aisha and Shayura brought me to tears (Shayura's descent into madness was triggered by immense trauma of Sloane staying on Titan and Titan disappearing), everything with Sloane and Zavala...

Witch was just incredible in every single way; the focus on Eris, the amount of Eris and Ikora content!!!!! Everything about Xivu and Savathun and their interactions together!! Eris finally fulfilling her goal she promised Savathun YEARS ago, getting that closure.

Wish so far has been equally great to me. All the new stuff about Ahamkara is amazing, finally giving us proof for long-standing speculation about Ahamkara and how they aren't universally evil creatures and expanding on them as a species. I love all interactions we've had so far; finally we have Petra back, Mara's singleminded focus on figuring out how to defeat the Witness and her continuous work to improve as a person, ALL SJUR MENTIONS!!!!! I won't talk about the "leak" because we have no context for it so I will wait for the full story to be revealed before I can pass judgment; something that I think should be a lesson to learn from this entire year. Maybe wait for the story to finish before judging the story.

Literally everything this past year that involves Osiris, but especially this season now that he's back in his element with the Vex. And of course every little detail we get of him and Saint. Osiris honestly shaped this year for me with everything that he's done to uncover the biggest mysteries. I think a big reason is that a lot of people just don't like Osiris, which I consider a massive skill issue.

Other than that, I don't know what are the issues people have besides just not being interested in any of these storylines and attributing it to a nebulous "bad writing" claim. I also genuinely believe that way too many people get wrapped up too much in fandom, imagine storylines they want to see and then get disappointed when the actual story doesn't go there. Almost like people forget that this isn't their story and these aren't their characters. A lot of it is also fandom completely warping characters into not what they actually are and then feeling like the canon story is the one that's wrong.

Whatever is the reason, I guess everyone is entitled to their perspective of the story and everyone is free to explore the story in different ways through fanfics and AUs and whatever. I do that too!

But I would definitely ask people to be normal with how they engage in criticism, especially in the current state of affairs. Writers are developers; they experience a ton of harassment and negativity from the community and also from inside the company. And they are online: they can see what we're saying. It's been documented that community commentary has been used to harass writers:

Imprint this into your brain and never forget what these people had to go through. Let's not forget also the way people treated Seth Dickinson on social media when he was active with Destiny fans. "Fans" were actively arguing with him about his own work (telling him that HE is wrong) and were utterly disgusting towards him when he tried explaining what he wrote. His works are now hailed as the best writing in Destiny and people want him back. If I were him, I wouldn't want to come back ngl, not with how he was treated and not with how fans are still treating writers (and hey, Seth wrote LF Collector's Edition! So he was back, technically, this year!). Let's not forget that a lot of writers are members of various marginalised groups. And I'd definitely not want to go back with zero support from leadership.

Which is also an important aspect for all developers, including writers: sometimes they have orders they may not like, but can't argue against. They do the best they can with what they're given, the time they have and directions they receive. And with that in mind, I am enjoying everything we've gotten this year, obviously with some specific complaints about things I didn't particularly enjoy (like the universally mid reception of Defiance; I've spoken about my gripes with it before, a big one being the shafting of Suraya who should've at least been mentioned in a lore tab).

I can tell that there is passion in their work, even if maybe they would prefer to do more with it, but can't. Maybe even if they want to take different routes, but can't. But from what we got, I can feel that they care about this world and these characters. I can tell that someone lovingly wrote about Sloane and her friendships with two grieving women. I can tell that they deeply cared about Sloane's friendship with Zavala and that they loved showing us Saint and Drifter caring about a fellow trauma survivor.

I can tell that the writers are immensely careful and loving towards Eris; everything she went through was crafted with love and passion from both writers and her VA. Eris' story is such a fundamental aspect of Destiny and I can tell that this was important to the writing team and that they gave her everything they could to do justice to her character and her arc and her healing and her release from the cycle she was trapped in for so long.

I can tell that there are writers who care a lot about Osiris and Saint and their relationship. I can tell that someone cared a lot about expanding on Ahamkara and giving them more personalities. I can tell that someone cared DEEPLY about Sjur and Mara and that her repeated mentions are the passionate work of writers who want us to remember her.

I could go on. And I know that not everyone sees it this way, which is fine; we all have different ways of perceiving stories. I enjoy discussing things we in the fandom disagree on and I enjoy hearing different perspectives! Unfortunately, this has recently become rarer and rarer. And for the love of god, please try and treat writers with some respect, especially now, especially those who are still working and doing their best with the shitty situation they're in. None of the cries of "poor devs" ring true to me unless the same is given to writers, instead of treating them like punching bags.

[peppermint-whiskers]

Guess who's playing with God designs??

[saphstories]

Happy Birthday?

He could do this. He'd built a battle mech into a biplane, created a false Chaos Emerald, built a TV out of paperclips, and reprogrammed a super computer using dishwashing detergent and toothpicks...so baking a cake? Pfft.

Amy had given him a dubious look and asked if he was sure he didn't need help, but Tails waved her off. Oh, she of little faith. It was just a cake. What could go wrong? The pink hedgehog insisted he call her if he needed her help, and Tails rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom." He'd groused. Amy had stuck her tongue out at him but finally left, and Tails marched to the tiny kitchen nestled in the corner of he and Sonic's home.

Tails had several hours until the surprise party that afternoon, and Shadow had been tasked with keeping the birthday boy distracted until it was time. Nothing could go wrong.

...Famous last words.

HP?

"Getting slow in your old age, faker?"

"You're one to talk! How old are you know, Shadster? Pushing the 90s, aren't we?"

"Don't call me Shadster, and I'm immortal; I don't age, rat!" Shadow grabbed Sonic's wrist and flung him towards the nearby tree, momentarily forgetting he wasn't supposed to actually be fighting his rival, just distracting him. Ridiculous. Shadow snorted. The things he did for the pink hedgehog...

Sonic used the motion to his advantage, curling into a Spin Dash around the trunk and tackling Shadow on the rebound. The pair rolled in a tangled mass of blue and black fur, trading blows back and forth. Shadow paused, fist raised, but ruby eyes focused on something beyond the clearing he and Sonic had demolished in their spar. "Hedgehog, is that smoke?"

Sonic shoved Shadow off him and rolled up onto his knees to see the black pillar raising into the sky above the treeline. "Yeah, looks like it. Someone must be starting a bonfire."

Shadow gave him an unimpressed look. "Correct me if I'm wrong-,"

"Which you usually are." Sonic cheekily interrupted. Shadow rolled his eyes and punched him.

"But that smoke is coming from the area where you live with the fox, is it not?"

Sonic did a double take and his stomach dropped. "Oh, Chaos, not again." The blue hedgehog complained, shooting to his feet. "That kit is so grounded." He grumbled and gave Shadow a two-fingered salute. "It's been fun, Shadster, but I gotta juice." The Hero of Mobius was gone before Shadow could respond.

He could head back to his apartment. Technically, his task was complete, and Amy never specified he had to attend the party itself. He could deal with her and hee swinging hammer later.

But...Amy had said that she was going to ensure the fox knew what he was doing...and if there was a fire...

Shadow groaned. "She owes me." He dusted himself off, sighed, and relucantly followed the smoke pillar still rising, cheering himself with all the ideas thought of for the pink hedgehog to pay her debt.

When he arrived at the house, it was miraculously still standing but still yet smoldering, and Sonic stood with his arms crossed over his chest, foot tapping impatiently on the ground, and the sternest glower on his muzzle directed towards the fidgeting two-tailed fox kit in front of him, his hands behind his back...with slight tendrils of black smoke wafting out behind him.

"I'm waiting, Miles Prower." Sonic reminded the fox.

Tails gulped, ears flat against his head at the use of his birth name. He was really in for it now, but his self-preservation ran away with his mouth. "At least the house isn't completely destroyed! And it's just minor damage, I can fix it easy-,"

"Miles."

Tails bit back a whimper and nodded in defeat, then reluctantly presented the smoldering pan of black brick to his brother.

Sonic blinked. "Is that supposed to be a cake? You nearly burned down our house and got yourself killed for a cake?"

Tails tried to smile. "Happy Birthday?"

[trappedinafantasy37]

ACT 3 was one hell of a ride and I have finally completed the Shadowheart origin run! Now it is time to finalized this story. If you have missed the previous updates, check out Act 1 and Act 2.

WARNING: this gets pretty long. Again, it's a story. Some things are gonna be a little bit out of character and involve my own headcanons as I try to fill in the gaps of what isn't directly said in the game.

THE CITY AWAITS

After a long walk from the Shadowlands with Isobel and Dame Aylin, Shadowheart and Minthara finally made it to the city of Baldur's Gate! Shadow can feel that she is on the precipice of many conflicts and so many things are about to be resolved. Unfortunately, she can also feel that many of those resolutions may require violence. She has only recently turned from Shar and still doesn't really know what it means to be a Selunite. Sure, she's taken some guidance from Isobel and Aylin, but their journey with Selune is not the same as hers. They were not brainwashed to hate Selune and all that is good with the world, they did not have their minds wiped over and over so that they can be molded and shaped into the perfect hate machine, and they were not actively tortured by their goddess every time they had dirty and naughty thoughts like empathy and compassion.

Breaking decades of religious indoctrination and countering everything that you have ever known is a difficult and arduous process and not one that is done over night. It isn't easy and it takes an incredible amount of effort. But, no matter how hard she tries, there are some thoughts in Shadow's head that pop up on their own, even if she no longer wants to have those thoughts. Every action she takes from here forward is a deliberate and conscious effort that she makes to not be the same person that she used to be. Unfortunately, Shar and Mother Superior have left deep and lasting scars within her, things that she will never be able to rid herself of. Even though she has turned a new leaf, made an internal vow to do better and be better, she will always have blood on her hands.

It has only been a few weeks of Shadow putting in this effort within herself and Minthara can see the changes. Minthara may not care too much for Shadow having a bleeding heart and wanting to do the "right thing" all of a sudden, but she can appreciate that Shadow is no longer pretending to be something she isn't.

And for a moment, Minthara herself begins to reflect on her own upbringing and the things she has been indoctrinated with. She starts to deconstruct her relationship with the gods and the influence that they should have in their lives, her place in society and where she feels she truly belongs, the importance of trust, and the desire for power. Minthara starts her own process of challenging all the things she's ever known, but unlike Shadow, she is not a blank slate. She does remember everything she's been through these past 200+ years and undoing all that experience isn't going to be so easy for her. Like Shadow, there are just some things even she cannot undo. And there are many things that she would prefer to hang on to.

The process of breaking their own indoctrination is a slow start for both of them. Even though they both recognize the toxicity of their upbringings and the marks it has left on them, neither of them is afraid or ashamed to leverage their teachings in a way that benefits them both. They are also not afraid to continue with their morally dubious actions if it means getting them closer to their goals. So, the two elves travel all around Baldur's Gate doing good while being evil. Some of the shenaninanigans they have been up to:

Settled a squabble between a rich guy and some squatters (they both "died under mysterious circumstances")

Went to the circus and got jumped scared by Orin.

Accidentally stumbled upon a murder mystery that turned into a much deeper conspiracy

Found some gnomes and got a bomb

Started a fight at the checkpoint in which those very gnomes came and saved them

Met Gortash. It would appear that shoddy inaugurations and spilling his evil bad guy plan in front of the entire city constitutes as amongst that minutia of death cult office politics that he's so busy with.

Saved Counsellor Florrick

Continued on their investigation into Bhaal and visited the murder tribunal, killed a sacrifice to get some wicked gear, and then killed Sarevok anyway cause, why not, they were already there.

Beat up a wizard and let Dame Aylin break his back so she can break her oath

Got involved with the Thieves Guild and the Stone Lord

Did a dirty deed for Ethel, but made a crucial ally

Blew up a foundry of slaves

TEAM MOMMY ISSUES

While on this journey of self healing and self reflection, Shadow has spent the entire time just trying to forget the cause of all her worries. But the ever-present wound on her hand that exists just to torment her serves as a reminder that she cannot forget, and she shouldn't. No, Shadow is tired of forgetting. She knows her parents are in the city somewhere and she needs to save them! She can still have the life that has been denied to her. And so, she returns to the House of Grief.

Everyone at the House has been expecting her, but they are not too pleased with her arrival. They are very well aware of her turning her back on Shar and retribution is upon her. Shadow has been through so much on her long journey and has grown incredibly power. But sitting on this bench across from her mother, she is reduced to nothing more than a scared child who knows she has disappointed her mother.

Minthara stands against the wall and watches this entire interaction unfold and for just a brief moment, she sees a reflection of herself within the half-elf. She too has learned plenty of hard lessons at the hands of her mother and she holds plenty of those lessons close to her heart. But there were some days in which she did not see any lesson in the scars her mother left on her, and it felt like nothing but torment for torments sake.

Traveling through the cloister, Shadow is reminded of all the things that she had to do. She learned how to be a good liar and how to pretend to be someone else. She also learned how to torture when it was necessary, how to force information out of people and make them embrace the pain. She does not recall the days in which she learned these lessons, but she has all the skills.

Confronting her mother and the cloister isn't an easy task, but it has to be done. Obviously, Mother Superior wants Shadow to hand over the Prism and she may be "forgiven". But Shadow has learned the hard way that Shar does not forgive and her mother is full of it. Standing on her own two feet, she defies the Mother Superior and the entire cloister turns against her. She does not want to kill anyone here, but she does not feel any sorrow for people that she does not remember. Fighting them all is incredibly difficult as there is twenty of them, and only two of the elves. But with the power granted to her by Selune, Shadow and Minthara are able to burn away the darkness.

Once in her life, Minthara admired Viconia for her rebellion against authority. But she was so naive back then. As she furthered into her career as a paladin of Lolth, she realized just how much of a coward Viconia was. If the former Priestess of Lolth was still in the Underdark while she was, it would have been Minthara's duty to hunt her down and kill her in Lolth's name. Right now, all she sees is a coward who has done nothing but wipe Shadow's mind, torment her and give her lessons in which she can't remember, and rob Shadow of the ability to form her own identity. Minthara takes it upon herself to end Viconia, not in Lolth's name, but Shadowheart's.

But, of course, things are not that easy. Nothing is ever easy. There is an even darker secret hidden in the cloister. The pain that Shadow has felt since the day she started her mission, is the curse that connects her to her parents. And Shar reminds Shadow that there is no escaping her, at least not without making a great sacrifice. There is great meaning to be found in pain, and Shar decides to leave Shadow with what she would prefer to find meaning with.

Her parents want her to let them go. They have seen their daughter once more, she is alive and healthy, in Selune's embrace, and has someone who adores her more than the world itself. Shadow does not want to let them go, she did not come all this way to let them go. If Shar is to damn them all, then they can get through it together. But the Hallowleafs do not want their daughter to suffer needlessly, and neither does Minthara.

To the drow, killing ones parents is an important rite of passage. A perfect method to usurp their place in society, and gain power and status. If Shadow had made a different choice with the Nightsong and not angered Shar, perhaps that would be true. But the option presented to the half-elf is eternal suffering, or freedom from Shar's poison. And Minthara does not want to watch Shadow suffer for the rest of their lives together, not when there is a real possibility for Shadow to be free.

Minthara encourages Shadow to kill her parents. Not because she wishes to see them dead, but because their death means that Shadow will be free to live as herself and without unnecessary suffering. Taking the advice of both her parents and her love, Shadow uses the power of Selune and sets them free. Their souls are no longer bound to the Lady of Loss and they return to Selune's embrace where they were meant to be. Shadow will never know who she was before the cloister, she will never know who Jenevelle Hallowleaf was or who she could have been. And she will have to live with the guilt of having tortured them, and the grief of having to kill them.

BLOODY VENGEANCE

Every night since meeting her at that circus, Minthara's mind has been swirling with the paranoia and terror that Orin was always close by. Walking down the streets of the city, her eyes would watch every single person around, trying to determine which of them was an impostor who is only there to trick her or hurt her or worse.

Walking down into the sewers, inching closer and closer to Orin, Minthara is filled with incredible doubts on whether or not she will survive the ordeal. This is the woman who "indoctrinated" her into the Cult of the Absolute, filling her mind with what are clearly lies. To make it worse, the shroud has been lifted and the memories she once believed to be pleasant dreams were nothing but nightmares in which she was robbed of all choice in the matter.

But right now, she has a choice. She has Shadow, someone she cares for deeply. Someone who has never hurt her, or lie to her, and made a promise to protect her, even from Orin. This time, she knows that what she feels for her cleric is real and nothing is compelling her to feel the way she does. Under normal circumstances, she would feel incredible pressure and terror at admitting this level of vulnerability. Especially when admitting love and affection has always awarded her with a new scar. Or worse, a dead lover. But it is either now or never and she tells Shadow that if they are to survive this fight with Orin, she wishes to remain by her side for the rest of their lives, because the bond they share is unbreakable one.

To make it all worse, Orin did not even speak to her, didn't even address her, pretended like she wasn't even there! She had held Minthara down in a cocoon of flesh, cutting her and torturing her for days. And she doesn't even get the honor of an acknowledgement? This iblith's mind games never end and she wants to further the torment by focusing on Shadow, making it clear that if Minthara doesn't act quickly and with decisiveness, her precious cleric will be turned into a sacrifice before Bhaal. And what then? What is Minthara going to do then? She will have lost her only reason for fighting and she will succumb to her fears and become susceptible to Orin's knives once more. She cannot let that happen. Not again. She's had enough of Orin's games.

And of course, the fight with Orin wasn't easy, it was never going to be easy. All of Minthara's greatest fears are culminated into one: the Slayer. In another life, Minthara would admire this type of power. No, she would revel in it! She would open her arms wide and embrace the incredible and exquisite creature that it is! Hells, she would have willingly embraced Orin if she had been given the choice.

Too bad this isn't that life and Orin, the Slayer, is nothing but another monstrosity that needs to be exterminated. Minthara cannot and does not care about how removed a crazed Bhaalspawn will be of great benefit to the living world. She does not care that Orin needs to die so that they may nab her Netherstone and get one step closer to the Absolute. No, Minthara wants to kill Orin solely out of vengeance. To right the wrongs that Orin had brought upon her. She is well past the point of mercy.

Even though Minthara herself personally delivered the killing blow and watched the Bhaalspawn dissolve into a puddle of viscera, she still has difficulty believing Orin is dead. But right now, she can't focus on that. Shadow does her best to try to comfort her through all this, but greater problems need to be addressed. Shadow has spent too much of her life repressing how she feels and running away from her true emotions and pretending she doesn't feel what she does. She is not oblivious to the fact that Minthara has an annoying habit of doing the same exact thing, and Shadow understands exactly why.

Later at camp, when they are both in a safe and secure place, Shadow asks Minthara to open up, tell her how she feels about Orin's death. Of course Minthara is glad Orin is dead, but she is not as satisfied as she thought she would be. There was never going to be a smite that would have been powerful enough to remove the scars that had been left on her. Shadow can sympathize. As much as she does not wish to see her paladin in pain, she knows that this is something Minthara will carry with her for the rest of her life. But in time, she will overcome it.

A NEW BEGINNING

With all the Netherstones gathered, it is now time to face the elder brain and deal with the Absolute. The two of them fight valiantly and fearlessly through the city and up to High Hall. With a Mind Flayer on their side, and a few powerful allies, the elves push through the burning city and all the nightmares conjured by the elder brain. This is a fight, not just for their lives, but the world. With the brain just about ready to break, it pleads for mercy, offering itself as a tool to be used and abused just so that it may live.

Of course Minthara still wants to take control of it. Her and Shadow can stand side by side as gods and make the world a perfect place. They will be equal to the others and gods like Shar and Lolth can never touch them again. And if they tried, then the two elves will have a much easier time fighting back.

But this isn't what Shadow wants. She understands Minthara's reasoning. The drow says it's all for the power, the control, the glory! But deep down, it's nothing but fear. The fear of being abandoned, the fear of being betrayed, the fear of her devotion being thrown back in her face and being punished with death. Shadow has felt it all herself. But becoming the problem will never be a viable solution. Shadow stood before Shar, defied her, and paid the price. She knows it is possible to fight back and live. And she is not going to allow Minthara to fall into a death spiral because she is too scared to walk a different path.

What could have been their crowning achievement crashes down into the ocean as Shadow asks the Emperor to destroy the brain. Minthara stands on the pier, watching as it drowns in the ocean. All that power, all that potential, wasted. But she is free. There is no longer a tadpole in her head, threatening to turn her into a mind flayer or a thrall. The Absolute cannot break her and Lolth cannot touch her. The decision may not have been hers to make, but she will appreciate the freedom of it all. It's not as if the Absolute was the only path to world domination, just the fastest and most convenient.

The two elves take a moment to catch their breaths and get some rest after saving the world. Being a savior is... new for Minthara. It's weird and something she never thought she would be considered. The people adore her and thank her in the streets every day. Perfect! They are priming themselves up to be easily manipulated later! The drow will be sure to leverage this affection.

The city is saved thanks to Shadow's singular decision. Of course she was worried about the fate of the world. She understands more than most to have your strings pulled by a domineering god, and she did not want to subjugate others to that same torment and anguish. She does not know if she will ever fully embrace Selune yet, but she will appreciate the fact that Selune has given her the ability to forge her own path. And Shadow will give the same to others, as well as Minthara.

Minthara doesn't miss a beat, nor does she lose her breath. She has accepted the loss of the Absolute and immediately moves on to scheming about how to take over the city from the shadows. All Shadow can do is roll her eyes and laugh. Her ambition, although sometimes self destructive, is just one of the many reasons Shadow fell in love with her.

The two of them have been awarded a lifetime together and Minthara wants to spend every single second of it with Shadow. She may want to rule the city, but she wants more to do whatever her cleric wants to do. Baldur's Gate, although her home, is nothing but a fragment of a memory Shadow will never get back. She wants to know more about Selune, find out what would have driven her parents to worship the moon goddess, and maybe find some meaning in the new divinity she channels. She wants to see the world and find a new purpose and find out who she wants to be now that she has the freedom to.

Of all the gods, Selune is probably the only one Minthara has no quarrel with. She wants Shadow to be free, and Selune will give that to her. Selune is the one who won't kill or abandon or torture her followers for every tiny mistake. She will allow Shadow to make the choices she wants, and won't punish her for them. Unlike Lolth, unlike Shar, unlike Bhaal, unlike the Absolute, Selune won't force her followers to be who they don't want to be, or do what they don't want to do. All she will do is guide them through the dark whenever they feel lost.

And so, without protest, Minthara marches alongside Shadowheart out of Baldur's Gate as they continue on their new journey of self-discovery.

Thank you very much for reading all of this, I know it was a lot. And I want to give a most special thanks to those who have followed me through all of this. I'm actually kind of sad that this run came to an end. But, it's not entirely over as I got a whole fic to write about it now and I'm kinda excited about it!

< Act 2 |

[respectthepetty]

I love your meta about Porchay being the most savage of them all. You are right. KimChay were the most terrifying couple. Also I now need some fic where Porchay proposes the wedding like in your meta, because it is all I am thinking about on the loop now:D. And Porchay would definitely do it, given more time. And if Kim wasn't an idiot and didn't break Porchay's heart (and his own), he could be happily married before even KinnPorsche and VegasPete had their engagement:DD

Anon, Kim didn't live at home. He made his own money away from the family business. He was bullying Big. He was on his own little mission. Porchay was left to live alone. He was bold with his idol. He went directly to Kim once he figured out he was part of the mafia, then he blocked him! They were a match made in hell!

I know Vegas x Pete and Kinn x Porsche have their points, but Kim and Porchay had to break up because if not, they would have made that entire family cry at least twice a week and killed Korn.

I am an open advocate for "Kill Your Shitty Father" in these BLs, and I truly believe Kim would have done it, especially if he had Porchay by his side. Kim would be trying to figure out a way to kill their father while Kinn would still be trying to please him, and Porchay would be helping Kim figure out a way to kill his dad while Porsche was trying to please Kinn.

Remember when the three boys found out Korn was dead? KIM DID NOT BELIEVE IT! He knows you can't kill the devil that easily.

So, yeah, you are absolutly right that Kim and Porchay would have gotten married before everyone else because 1) they would have found a way to use WIK's star power and Kim's mafia leverage to threaten government officials into legalizing marriage equality, and 2) they would have used the wedding as a ruse to kill Korn.

And that's why Kim and Porchay had to break up, so Porchay would not murder Korn, Kim could continue to be a superstar, and Macau could finally shoot his shot!

[freebooter4ever]

I need you to know that watching and liking your last video wasn't enough, I need to wrap you in a cozy blanket and put a warm mug in your hands and tell you that some people are trash and that you are so brave and vulnerable and resilient and I'm so so sorry you have had to be any of those things, and that you are so so worthy of love and appreciation in any physical manifestation.

This is so sweet it actually made me cry ;_; i have lost so many friends here in LA who just disappeared because i can no longer do the more physical things i used to go out and do like long walks or strolling through museums without a ton of breaks. And the number of people who have told me that i just have to 'work through it' as if this is all in my head and not something that just....totally debilitated me in a matter of weeks.

i just feel like its so easy for me to be in love, but inevitably i end up with someone who doesn't want to love me in return. like its a habit i picked up from the abusive relationship or something. eventually you stop seeing anything in yourself worth loving let alone being attractive or god forbid 'se*xy'. i know I'm not the only person who feels these things but its still very isolating.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Okay, but like

As someone who personally disliked the fandom characterization of Mangey as a child who is basically a wild animal

Which of course meant that (even though this standard was not applied to other equally feral boscage maze characters) if you even dared to have ships involving Mangey it was considered "beastiality"

Season 3 was so vindicating for me. Like as someone who always characterized him as selectively mute/largely nonverbal and with less palatable autism, it was so great to see the proof in the pudding that he is just as capable of being more than just the group dog thought like any other mobian and the hilarity of him being surprisingly adept with technology. Like god those few Sails/Mangey interactions were so so good