#oc: pillars tai lon

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I’ve just picked up Pillars of Eternity and I’m having a blast with it so far! For the NPC POV exercise, maybe your favourite NPC from the first game?

*shows up a month and a half late with a chai latte* Eyyyy I bet you forgot you sent this ask. I didn't forget about it. I just got busy at work. And then I did write about half of it, but had to force-restart my computer in the middle of it due to a graphical glitch and lost everything. So, ah, take 2.

Each kith who speaks of the new Watcher of Caed Nua, with the exception of those who the Steward knows will never speak well of another unless it earns them coin or favor, says that she is benevolent. Gentle. Good-hearted.

The Steward...well. To say that she fails to understand where the sentiment comes from would be a lie. The Watcher's actions speak to goodness. Or, noblesse oblige, at the least. She personally sees to the petitions the Steward puts before her, and even if it costs her weeks of time or chunks of her coffers, the Watcher does her best to give, whatever it may take, to resolve the request favorably. For a woman who may have precious few seasons remaining to bask in sanity, the Steward understands this is a precious gift.

But being quite aware of any and all who contact with the stones that she herself designed, laid, keeps, and inhabits, the Steward thinks that she, perhaps, has touch with something the Watcher's magnanimity belies. The pale elf Watcher, she hears petitioners say, has a countenance as youthful and sweet as the first sweetheart snows. The Steward remembers the year an attendant fell and cracked his skull hurrying across the courtyards, unaware of the ice beneath.

Sometimes, when the Watcher is alone, her fingers brush the faded fineries that cling like spiderwebs to the inner keep, where petitioners do not go. Sometimes, she simply stands in one of the restored wings, and something in her feels sick. The Steward cannot see her eyes, but she feels the Watcher's gaze upon the skeleton which houses the Steward's heart and soul. It is as covetous as it is disgusted. The feelings mix unpleasantly, like sunshine and fruit flesh.

Whenever a visitor of some status visits the keep, if the Watcher is there, she holds herself perfectly stiff and proper, but the Steward feels the pressure of those gentle, cold fingertips on the arms of her throne like acid. It is a vitriol buried so deep that the Steward has often wondered whether the Watcher herself knows why she is left so hollow in the end.

Perhaps, the Steward thinks, the Watcher is too stubbornly malleable and sacrificing to acknowledge how deep the cracks go. Or, perhaps, the ice under the snow is a bitter-wrought, hand-laid last line of defense between the outside world and the ravenous depths of her fraying soul.

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I’m actually reblogging this one because I have a lot, but.  Here’s some of the answers.  I’ve got more but I didn’t want this to get unreasonable, so I chose the fandoms most on my mind these days.

FF14 (Rihnkiki “Inky” Rihnki)

to Thancred: This isn’t going to work, is it? to Urianger: She’s not coming home.

Speaker (Rebecca Joos)

to Kana: Neither of us is ever going to feel complete if we stay like this.

Speaker (Yoshiko Nakamura)

to Azalea: I’m sorry, but I simply cannot be attracted to you.

Speaker (Sage Almstead)

to Li: It’s not just sex. to Sebastian: I hate that she gets you better than me.

Pillars of Eternity (Tai Lon)

to Aloth: I wanted you to stay.  I want you to stay.

Pillars of Eternity (Junisce)

to Serafen: I’ve been dreaming of you, and I do not know what was magic and what was wishful thinking. to Bekarna: I want you to be her second mother, even if we don’t work.

Pillars of Eternity (Lila)

to Xoti: I love you.

D&D (Montgomery)

to Lorelei: I know I am the shorter-lived between us, so perhaps it’s selfish to ask, but I truly believe the misery of a what-if would be more painful than the heartbreak when I pass.

What are the hardest words your character had to say to their love interest?

If you'd like, reblog with ur answer, put it in the tags, or just send to my ask 💕

[pillarsheadcanons]

PHC’s Bigass Fanfic Author Masterlist

That’s right we’re gonna be doing some author shoutouts! What’s equally as good as amazing fanart? FANFICTION AND THE PEOPLE WHO WRITE IT, YA SILLY GOOSE. I put it together so you don’t have to, everything ranging from sweet sweet fluff content to that dirty nasty your sinning eyes are looking for.

@aban-ataashi (Does a great deal of sfw pieces and they also do killer aesthetic moodboards! Here’s a link to their tumblr fanfic master list as well! Watchers: Desta, Miervalids, Rudi)

Ao3 link 

@ampleappleamble (She draws elves kissing! Mature work on archive. Watcher: Axa Mala)

Ao3 link

Bazylia_de_Grean (No longer active on Tumblr but deserves the shoutout just as equally! They have an incredible amount of fics ranging from sfw to the nsfw: all worth the read. Watcher: Eidis)

Ao3 link

brightephemera ( @caed-nua-state-of-mind on tumblr, they post on both platforms so send the likes and kudos all around! Varied content between sfw and nsfw. Watcher: Vailond)

Ao3 link

@captainofthefallen (Lots of great one offs featuring our favorite animal loving farm boy! Watcher: Mara Emerys)

Ao3 link

@dreamerinsilico (Has a few great Iovara fics and mostly short pieces of varying ratings. Watcher: Acantha)

Ao3 link

@illustrious-e (Phynoma on Ao3. Plenty of Aloth content between Teen+ and Explicit! Watcher: Mirad)

Ao3 link

@long-john-furby (Firelight-And-Rain on Ao3. Cute one offs rated G. Watcher: Kadri)

Ao3 link

@lunarowena (Here’s a link to their tumblr fanfic master list! Mostly G rating with a few Mature in the mix. Watchers: Calendula, Lillian)

Ao3 link

@orime-stories (More varying works between the ratings of G and M, written by an awesome human being! Also posts works to their tumblr as well. Watcher: Seluna)

Ao3 link

@queen_scribbles (A truly extensive list of Pillars works. Like seriously how do you do it. Watchers: Adela, Emiri, Kei, Tavi)

Ao3 link

@rannadylin (Plenty of G rated works ranging from Watcher works to those involving their Leaden Key Inquisitor. Watcher: Lenneth, Violet)

Ao3 link

RisuAlto/RisuMezzo (Another extensive list of works with varying ratings! Some really awesome Aloth content worth the read! Watchers: Lili, Junsice, and Tai Lon)

Ao3 link (pseud link)

@samaelstoker (Currently one work, well worth the read! Watcher: Tehanu)

Ao3 link

@undyingembers (Mature and Explicit stories with plenty of the Handsome Fish c; Watcher: Amali)

Ao3 link

@yanara126-writing (G-M rating. Their Vela piece is very interesting! Watcher: Favaen, Francesca.)

Ao3 link

I’m going to do my best to keep this regularly updated for convenience sake! Please let me know if I need to include any more Watchers or if there’s any other main OC you’d really love to highlight.

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midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

For all/any of your Watchers, please!

Thank you for this! Sorry it's taken so long.

Tai Lon

Well, aside from the Watcher dreams that sometimes stop her sleeping, I think Tai Lon sometimes has nightmares about Eothas and what happened during the period of time she can't remember before waking up on the ship with Eder. Additionally, she just tends to have anxious dreams before and immediately after big battles or hard decisions--often the dreams don't have anything to do with what actually happened, but she'll dream of terrible things happening to the people she loves as a subconscious projection of her decisions bringing about ruin and pain.

When she can't sleep, Tai Lon tends to read if she has access to anything to read. If she doesn't, she tries to make up stories in her head to fill the void. She rarely remembers those half-delusions when she finally gets up properly in the morning, though.

Junisce

Jun actually sleeps really well once she gets to sleep (assuming no magical interference), but sometimes she'll have trouble falling asleep as a result of residual instinctive anxiety from the Watcher dreams. When she can't sleep, she tends to just stare up at the stars and trace constellations--most of which exist, but some of which she makes up.

Lila

Lila has always been chronically insomniac, even before becoming a Watcher and Awakening. She sleeps at the ass crack of dawn, if at all, and she'll do anything and everything to distract herself. Sometimes it's out of an effort to try and exhaust herself so she can sleep, but mostly it's just because she'd rather sleep when she's dead. She likes training when she has space, but if she's confined (disgusting), she'll doodle. Usually with a sharp rock in the sand, and usually the kind of doodles that she'd want tattooed on her skin if the ink wouldn't burn out.

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What topic are they* most likely to know obscure facts about?

*your Watchers :3

Thank you :D

8. What topic are they* most likely to know obscure facts about? Well, I'll preface this by saying that all of my Watchers have some kind of specialized knowledge that comes from their background that the average person would think is weird. But that feels like cheating, so let's go with the stuff that they don't have a survival reason for knowing about.

Lila knows a lot about leather, specifically for fashion purposes rather than for armor--but also just about the process of tanning. She likes wearing leather and absorbed a lot more information than she gives herself credit for talking to shopkeepers (and other kids) about it. Not all of what she knows is 100% correct, but on the whole she knows a lot about how to make, cure, and shape leather into accessories and such.

Junisce is the least likely of the three to know these kinds of facts, honestly. She doesn't store a lot of information that's not directly related to her survival. INT is not her highest stat, even though she's clever. But she does learn quite a bit about the stars from Bekarna post-Deadfire, and imparts all of what she knows to Vela.

Tai Lon knows an unreasonable amount about naval navigation for someone who never actually sailed pre-Deadfire. Most of it was just vague knowledge pre-Pillars 1, but she was genuinely interested and studied up while she was in the Dyrwood, so she knew a shocking amount about what was going on in Deadfire after waking up.

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Wants // Needs // Dreads to Hear

I was tagged in this game by @homeformyheart about a week ago.  Sorry I’m late!

This has become my new favorite set of character development questions.  They’re a lot of fun.  I’m not going to do every character I have here, but I will do a bunch--and if I get tagged back (bc that happens a lot in my circles ahaha), I’ll have extra.

I tag: @captainofthefallen @orime-stories @dragonologist-phd @queen-scribbles @serenbach86 @starlightcleric @undyingembers @lyriumdreaming @rannadylin @iustine @tpcignits @haledamage @lumeha @sayonaramidnight @gavcowles and tbh if you are reading this right now and say I tagged you, I will add you to the list because I love reading about these answers.  Yes, that means you.  Your characters.  I want to know.

Rules: Write three statements, one that your character wants to hear, one that they need to hear, and one that they dread to hear, from a loved one.

Rebecca Joos (Speaker): "You helped me." // "It's okay that your affection is low-key.  I can tell you love me (us)." // "You thrive on other people's suffering.  You're too cold to care that they're hurting, only that you feel like a hero when you fix them."

Sage Almstead (Speaker): "I choose you." // "You don't have anything to prove to me (us).  I (we) see you and love you." // "Your sister could have done it." 

Yoshiko Nakamura (Speaker): "You're my home." // "Isolation can't protect you from heartbreak.  Let me in." // "I thought you'd be different.  I don't think we can work."

Theresa Silbruck (D&D5e): "I love you." // "I've seen the worst in you, and I still think you're beautiful, inside and out." // "They hurt me to get to you."

Odelle of Seiyamaji (D&D5e): "You're a natural." // "I'll be there for you no matter what." // "You're wonderful, but I can't do this [I have to go]."

Ytelarien (D&D5e): "We couldn't have succeeded without you." // "Showing emotion doesn't mean you're inviting someone to hurt you.  You're not less for feeling things." // "You weren't smart enough to save [us/them]."

Montgomery von Calliston Radcliffe (D&D5e): "I look up to you." // "You can make things better with your own strength, and your empathy is an asset, not a weakness." // "I don't need you, I need [your sister/the wizard/someone else who can do magic because Montgomery can't]."

Tai Lon (Pillars of Eternity): “You deserve better than this, but I see how much you’ve done for the world and they should be grateful.” // “You’re doing enough.  You’ve done enough.  You can’t do everything.” // “If only you’d tried harder, maybe this could have worked.”

Junisce (Pillars of Eternity): “You’re fascinating and I like seeing the world with you.” // “Sometimes you need to be less of an observer.  It is your business.” // “You don’t care about me (us) and it’s obvious you never have.”

Lila Voidfyr (Pillars of Eternity): “I’d do anything for you.” // “Saying that something isn’t your fault doesn’t make it true.  Your actions have consequences.” // “You need to calm [settle] down.”

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Hi! I'm not sure if you got my previous ask or if Tumblr ate it, but I put in an ask for 🦋 for Tai Lon and another 🦋 for Ytelarien. If you already got it, then please ignore.

Hello! I'm so sorry this took so long; I fell down/was dragged into a bit of a rabbit hole over with FFXIV. But thank you for asking and being patient with me!

🦋 - Tai Lon - Tai Lon tends to dual wield with a stiletto as her on-hand weapon and a dagger in her off-hand, despite the fact that she only has a weapon specialization in the former. Why does she do this? Because daggers are quintessential and they find way more cool magical daggers than stilettos. That's it. Yes, her companions make fun of her. It got worse after she switched to using Modwyr as her off-hand weapon in Deadfire with an on-hand stiletto, and Edér did not stop laughing at her as she was trying to retrain the muscles in her left arm to handle the larger blade. Modwyr was in on it.

🦋 - Ytelarien - This is going under a cut because my girlfriend is not allowed to read it.

Ytelarien's real name is Nurcan Aydın, which is a bit of a dumb name which I'm not convinced wasn't made up because the person who told her that was her name is an archfey. But it means "enlightened bright soul" in Turkish and their setting's in-world equivalent. Ytelarien (Elvish: "distant star") did take from the archfey (who may or may not be their father idk), however, the power of true names, and obviously no longer uses this name as their own. Part of the reason for this, however, has less to do with protecting herself from curses and more to do with the professional disassociation her work requires. Nurcan is a child afraid of their own blood, desperately struggling to understand the world by studying it like a spellbook. Ytelarien is a cold, calculating agent of the crown who will sacrifice a life without hesitation in the name of the greater good. Calling that person something else makes it easier to see clearly.

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Did I see a Tai Lon Maneha BroTP?👀

You did, you did! It's been sitting in my drafts for almost four years. Oops! But it's actually for @pillarspromptsweekly, 0013, and I got massively stuck on it for a long time because I got too caught up in the details. I really want to finish it, and I think I have a better handle on disobeying canon at t his point, so it should go smoothly...but I can tell you that 0013 was a Roll For It prompt, and I rolled: Maneha + runaway + lies.

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I was tagged by @orime-stories to make some OCs in this picrew.  I’ll tag @captainofthefallen @hopelesshaunts @aban-ataashi @queen-scribbles @iustine @crqstalite @undyingembers @serenbach86 @lumeha @emjs-good-out-here @haledamage @brightoncemore @tpcignits.  Hopefully none of you have been tagged already~

This is: Lila, Tai Lon, Junisce (PoE) Jay, Iruka (TPS) Theresa (D&D), Rebecca (Speaker), Odelle (D&D)

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Mutually Inclusive (Pillars of Eternity)

Title: Mutually Inclusive Summary: Two Watchers and their boyfriends walk into a bar... No, that’s too easy.  Two Watchers end up in the same bar due to some reality-crossing nonsense and vaguely bond over having feelings for alternate versions of the same two men, but only one of them is aware of it.  Yes, that sounds about right for a Watcher’s Monday. Warnings: vague mention of being watched Notes: Happy birthday to @haledamage, a beautiful person with brilliant stories and one of the most wonderful hearts I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.  You suggested a kiss on the cheek with Kai and Tai Lon, and I decided to take the opportunity to point out that my own mother was inspired to make Tai Lon romance both Aloth and Edér after I told her about “Home Sweet Home.”  So this happened.  I hope you like it, and I hope you’ve had a wonderful birthday.

The weirdest part of this particular interaction wasn’t the fact that it was a once-in-a-millennium celestial event, that some people were claiming to see visions of spirits, or that it seemed like realities were overlapping. All of that was almost typical as far as the Watcher of Caed Nua was concerned.  Tai Lon absently wondered how bad her headache would be after this…and then whether Watchers in every reality had as dizzying of a fallout from visions.

Because the weirdest part was Aloth and Edér. In this reality, the one Tai Lon had tripped into while trying to make her way back to her friends at the tavern, things seemed perfectly ordinary at first.  She hadn’t even noticed that things had shifted until she got to her table to find her crew missing, replaced by a red-headed woman in adventuring clothes much like her own.  If the fact that this woman, now that Tai Lon was looking, seemed more solid than the rest of the room didn’t give away who she was, the trinket at her side would have.

It was the same one Tai Lon carried, a spoil from her adventures in the Deadfire…one that should have been unique.

“Hello, Watcher,” said the red-haired woman—also an elf—when she saw Tai Lon.  Her voice seemed to tilt with a light smirk that Tai Lon felt in the depths of her soul: well, this may as well happen today, and at least the world isn’t ending yet.

“Hello, yourself,” Tai Lon said, coming to a stop by the table.

“If you’re looking for someone who’s supposed to be here, you might as well just sit down,” said the other Watcher, nudging the chair next to her out from the table.  “It’ll right itself eventually, and walking away and coming back won’t do anything.”

Tai Lon sat, dropping tray of ale in her hands onto the table in front of her.  The bottom of it, for just a second, seemed to dip into the table, like it was made of gelatin instead of wood, and the edges between the objects went fuzzy for a second before righting themselves.  Tai Lon sighed, blinking away the disorientation.  “I’m aware,” she said, not unkindly, but with the full intention of showing how unimpressed she was with the whole situation.

The other woman laughed sharply, but her smile was genuine.  “Well, I’m Kai,” she said.

“Oh, ha-ha,” Tai Lon said.  She held out a hand.  “Tai Lon.”

Kai took it and shook once. “I wonder,” she said, putting her hand back on the table, “how it’s possible so many Watchers ended up in this same town on this day for this event.”

“I’m willing to bet the gods are fucking with us,” Tai Lon said bluntly, crossing her legs under the table.

Kai groaned, rubbing her forehead, cursing so colorfully under her breath that Tai Lon wondered if she had grown up around sailors.  “Oh, I’m sure they think this is hilarious,” she said.  “It’s either that or that there’s so many realities that the overlap is inevitable…and strangely, I find that more comforting.”

Tai Lon picked up the mug of ale meant for her and took a long sip, eyes fixed on the other elf as she spoke, glimmering with a smile.  “I think I like you,” she said simply.

It was then that Tai Lon noticed a commotion from near the bar.  When she looked over, noting that the farther she tried to focus from this other Watcher, the hazier everything became, she could see it was a game of some kind, one that Edér had just won a round of judging by the cheering.  Aloth hovered nearby, though he almost blended into the shadows in the corner.  If Tai Lon hadn’t known he should be there (because Edér was, because she—rather, the Watcher—was), she might not have noticed.  And maybe because it was easy to see him, or maybe just because she always looked for the best hiding places in a room, she noticed something strange in the corner table, too, though it was too far to make out the details.

“You’re all up to something,” Tai Lon said, glancing at Kai.

“Oh, usually,” Kai answered airily before she laughed.  “Chasing a lead on the Key.  Your Aloth wasn’t adamant about it?”  Tai Lon gave her a look.  “I know. Anyway, at the moment, they’re both looking to see if anyone reacts…”

Whatever else Kai was saying—and to be fair, it faintly registered as a well-thought-out plan in Tai Lon’s opinion, designed to zero in on anyone particularly suspicious—it all faded momentarily as Tai Lon looked back towards the game table just in time to see Edér tug Aloth closer by the arm and say something.  It didn’t quite carry, but Tai Lon focused—

Kiss for luck?

Edér, honestly.  Here?

Yeah, 'less you’re invitin’ me upstairs already?

Aloth rolled his eyes, and Tai Lon was sure that would be that.  Only it wasn’t.  He leaned over, kissed Edér on the cheek, and then stood back up to prop an arm on the back of Edér’s chair.  If not for the blush on his cheeks, Tai Lon would have said he managed to look imperious, somehow, in the middle of a tavern.  Edér, on the other hand, was grinning like the cat that got the cream.

Something stirred in Tai Lon’s chest as she looked at them, like a dam had been released in her mind as all of a sudden, she was wondering.  This Aloth looked and spoke like hers, of course, and so did Edér, and yet there was something very different.  Not just in that they were together, but that Edér was willing to be, that Aloth was so comfortable with it.

“I’m guessing things played out differently for you, then,” Kai said pointedly, eyes suddenly as sharp as cut glass.

Tai Lon chuckled, ducking her chin momentarily as she realized how her interest must have looked.  (Of course, if she’d looked over a few seconds before, she would have seen how Kai was looking at them—equally interested, but her admiration was softer, more secure.)  “Seems like there’s a lot of ways all of this can end up, huh,” she mused.  Her fingers drummed nonsensically on the uneven wood as she glanced one more time at the boys.  Her boys?  She’d always thought of them like that, but it always sounded a little discordant since she was only dating one of them, never mind that she’d also…

Her eyes flicked to that table behind where Aloth had been sitting, looking for a distraction.  Whoever was there couldn’t see Tai Lon, of course; she’d figured that out the first time realities had merged like this.  Which meant it was incredibly obvious that whoever was there was eyeing Kai from the one spot in the room Edér and Aloth couldn’t see.

“I’ve only met one other Watcher tonight who’s dating them both,” Kai said.  The words jarred Tai Lon out of her train of thought, making her shiver and nearly tense like she’d been hit with a lightning spell.  Kai kept talking like she hadn’t just shaken Tai Lon’s whole world. “I’m sure there’s others, though, even if we don’t…meet like this.  But as far as I’ve seen, there’s no universe in which I—we—whichever has more meaning, I suppose—don’t love them in some way.”

“That’s true,” Tai Lon said, summoning all of the diplomacy she’d learned since Gilded Vale to keep her voice steady.  “I know I don’t think I’d have made it this far without them.  Without everyone, but those two…they’ve been here from the beginning.”

“They’re something special,” Kai agreed.  She took a sip of whatever drink was in front of her and then laughed softly.  Joining her, Tai Lon felt so light that it was almost an unhinged feeling.  Was it possible in her world, too, that things could work like this, or had the chance already passed them by?  Sitting here, in this tavern where reality went a little fuzzy around the edges, it didn’t seem so far out of reach.

Maybe it was something she should consider. Think about properly.  The two most important people in her life, the ones with whom she always saw herself in the future…

Something shifted in the room, a little like the feeling of the world slipping from under Tai Lon’s feet when a vision gripped her, and she and Kai looked at each other.  The other elf’s features flickered for a second, growing misty before coming back into focus.

“There we go,” Kai said, glancing around.  She raised her glass.  “It’s been a pleasure, Tai Lon.”

“Believe me when I say that the pleasure was mine,” Tai Lon answered, clinking her ale against Kai’s own drink.  “Thank you, Kai.”

And before she could think better of it, Tai Lon held her breath, leaned over the arm of her chair, and gave the other Watcher a quick, shy kiss on the cheek.  “And your guy’s at the table over Aloth’s shoulder.  Good luck,” she whispered as she sat back, smiling as the two realities disentangled themselves with a whisper of essence.

She found herself back by the bar, still standing there, with the tavernkeeper giving her a bit of a weird stare.  Quickly waving him off, she hurried back to the table (noting that her drink wasn’t quite full, because even though she apparently hadn’t moved, physics and time were optional, apparently) where her boys were waiting.

Something special, indeed, she thought as they both smiled at her.  Something to think about.

[risualto]

Alright, my turn to post pictures from the RPG-style picrew that’s been making the rounds!  Here is, in order, Tai Lon, Jun, Lila, Iruka, Ayumo, Brandon, Jay, Rachel, Rebecca, and Erin.  The first three are Watchers from Pillars of Eternity; the next four are from an original sci-fi universe, though this is their D&D versions; the next two are from @speakergame, and the last is from an original RP.  You can always feel free to send me asks as well!

Note: Nickolai not included despite being a Main Character bc I wasn’t happy with how he turned out in this one.  But he should be there, too.

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Pre-Relationship 2 and Love 2 for any Pillars characters they're relevant to from the Ship Questions, please!

Thank you for this!  I’m really happy somebody sent in an ask.

Tai Lon(/Aloth)

PR2: What was their first impression of each other? Tai Lon was very confused by Aloth and yet a little bit delighted because of the weird amount of normalcy that was seeing someone insult someone else’s sister and having it degrade into a fight outside a tavern.  After the day she had, that was weirdly refreshing because it was so very kith.  Aloth’s first impression was...well, impressed with her skill with a knife, followed by intrigue wrt her relationship to the Key.

Love 2: What are their primary love languages? Both I think are quality time with a sprinkling of acts of service.  They’re weirdly compatible like that.

Junisce(/Serafen)

PR2: What was their first impression of each other? Junisce’s first impression was, “Oh, no, he’s so much; do I have to deal with this?” followed by some respect of his abilities as a cipher.  Serafen’s first impression is that Junisce was very pretty but needed to relax more, though he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the Watcher.  So, confusion.

Love 2: What are their primary love languages? I think Serafen’s love language is physical touch.  Junisce’s is quality time.  They make it work.

Lila(/Xoti)

PR2: What was their first impression of each other? Lila’s first impression of Xoti was, “Oh, if I don’t eat this poor girl alive, the world absolutely will.”  She was very attracted to Xoti, but she was also convinced that Xoti really had no idea what was what.  (Obviously this is not correct, but y’know.)  Xoti’s first impression was also instant vague attraction with a helping of, “Thank fuck someone around here isn’t aggressively lawful.”  She was super on board with Lila from day 1.

Love 2: What are their primary love languages? Lila’s love language is actually acts of service--if she is willing to go out of her way to do something for someone else, that is an exceptional signal of her feelings’ strength.  Xoti’s is words of affirmation, I think.

Bethyn(/Dannith)

PR2: What was their first impression of each other? Bethyn’s first impression was something along the lines of being glad she found someone else with their head on straight in the midst of a crisis.  Dannith’s was similar.  Instant mutual respect, though they met in a very harried situation, so it didn’t go much beyond that until later.

Love 2: What are their primary love languages? Bethyn’s primary love language is quality time, and Dannith’s is gift giving.

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⭐️ for Tai Lon, please ^^

Sure!  Thanks for asking :D

1. Aloth Corfiser (her boyfriend and one of her best friends, with whom she has a mutual pact of “I would punch your enemies in the face”) 2. Eder Teylecg (her other best friend and tired gossip buddy, always down for some shenanigans) 3. Devil of Caroc (they’re stab buddies, enough said) 4. Eld Engrim (her boatswain, promoted after the crash bc I said so f*ck the mechanics; she just likes him a lot and would die for him) 5. Cosmo (her giant miniature space piglet)

Send me a ⭐️ and an OC, and I’ll tell you 5 people they love.

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Hello Risu :), I have just learned that I used to read your Pillars of Eternity stories (talk about slow reaction XD). I did a quick reread, because for some reason the most vividly I remember "Pressure". Could you write a microprompt 24 - tender for Tai Lon? I really enjoy how you write her character :) /// Thanks :)

I’m really flattered that you used to read and enjoy my Pillars stories!  That means a lot to me.  “Pressure” was a lot of fun to write, so I am glad you enjoy it and Tai Lon’s story.

The fandom has been deep in Deadfire recently, so I decided to back up a little bit and write some good old-fashioned White March hurt/comfort.

“For a moment there, I think we...I doubted you were coming back.”  Tai Lon looked up and over her shoulder to see Aloth standing behind her, biting the inside of his cold-flushed cheek, blue eyes hanging low like rainclouds.  “You’d think we’d know better by now, but--”

“I did, too,” she said, cutting him off.  “Doubt myself, I mean, so I don’t blame you.”

He offered her a wry smile, but it melted almost immediately into something not-quite-reverent (to her relief), but almost tender.  “Well, clearly, we both ought to stop doing that.”

She laughed, and her strained, frozen lungs ached in protest until they, too, started to thaw from her smile.

[risualto]

11, 12, 22 and 27 for Tai Lon from the ship headcanon meme please!

Thanks for asking :D

11. What do they hide from one another? At first, a lot lmao.  Aloth hid his identity, his previous allegiances, his Awakening, and later the development of his feelings.  Tai Lon was a little more honest about her emotions, but I think she hides how ruthless she can be at times from Aloth, not wanting him to fall down that path.  By the time they get together, they’re not hiding like that anymore, though.  Sometimes Aloth will hold back his feelings when the stress of the whole Deadfire adventure gets really heavy for Tai Lon, but she usually manages to get it out of him in the end.

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious? They’re both really awkward about affection for a while lmao.  Mostly because they’re worried about Eder and Serafen (specifically) giving them shit.

22. Where does their first kiss happen? In the captain’s quarters of The Defiant (Tai Lon didn’t change the name) after Aloth’s personal quest in Deadfire.

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them? They’re honestly pretty subtle as a couple, though I think some members of The Defiant’s crew were a little irritated with the pining lmao.

[risualto]

2, 4, 6, 8 & 10 from the fluffy asks for Junisce and/or Tai Lon?

Thank you for asking!!

2. Who sits on their partner’s lap as they wrap their arms around their partners neck? Jun/Serafen - I feel like Serafen used to do this as a joke, but it kind of became a serious thing once they got their heads out of their butts and actually talked it out.  He will occasionally now randomly fling himself into Jun’s lap when they’re alone and start dramatically lamenting some minor problem, usually to make her laugh when she’s stressed out.

Tai Lon/Aloth - Tai Lon does it more.  Usually when Aloth needs to stop working.  She’ll nudge his grimoire out of his lap and replace it with herself.

4. Who initiates the forehead touch™? Jun/Serafen - Surprisingly, it was Serafen.  I don’t know exactly when in Deadfire’s timeline this happened yet (I used to, but I am reworking my ideas aha...) but it was definitely one of the last times they slept together before breaking off the FWB relationship.  Jun had a really bad day, as Watchers in Deadfire do, they blew off some steam together, but as soon as it was over, the dark cloud over her came back, and Serafen noticed.  She didn’t expect it because she’s very good at hiding her emotions, but he pressed his forehead to hers and said something encouraging while they were laying there.  He denied it the next morning.

Tai Lon/Aloth - I think this was a mutual thing, probably right after their first kiss.  They just stood in the corner of the cargo hold resting foreheads against each other and breathing softly until Tai Lon pulled Aloth into a hug.  It kind of became their customary greeting after that when they weren’t out in public.  In addition to Aloth taking her hand when she walked up, if they were in relative privacy, he’d pull her closer and she’d press her forehead against his for a second before going on about whatever they probably needed to talk about in the first place.

6. Who wraps their arms around their partner who is cooking? Jun/Serafen - The species height difference here makes this one a little awkward.  I don’t know if I have a good answer.

Tai Lon/Aloth - Tai Lon does it to Aloth because he’s usually the one cooking.  She hates it.  Though, if she is cooking for some reason, there’s absolutely nothing stopping Aloth from doing it back.  The nice thing about when Tai Lon does it to him, however, is that she’s very good at not actually restraining his movements while she does it.

8. Who cuddles up to the other on the couch? Jun/Serafen - Pretty sure that Junisce ends up with her head in Serafen’s lap a lot when they’re sitting on a couch together.  The first few times it happened, she was hesitant to call attention to it because she was worried he’d immediately get up and move, but eventually, this just became the default.  Serafen puts braids in her hair when she does it.

Tai Lon/Aloth - Aloth.  Tai Lon isn’t huge on cuddles, but if Aloth starts leaning onto/into her, she’ll put and arm around him and definitely isn’t going to let go unless something urgent happens or he decides to get up.

10. Who picks up the other fireman style in a playful way? Jun/Serafen - Jun has absolutely done this to Serafen at some point.  I’m not sure when, but she absolutely has.  He probably made a comment about being into powerful women, etc., and it devolved into flirty banter.

Tai Lon/Aloth - This is something that Tai Lon would do, except that her strength score is really low bc she relies more on Sneak Attack to do her damage than raw power, so I don’t think she’s actually strong enough to pick Aloth up.  Though she does have better Athletics, so for the sake of argument, I’m going to say she does.  Aloth probably would not do this, anyway.