#shadowheart what is your Problem etc

[sunbentshadows]

I think all videogames need an “I’m an adult without any free time” setting. I know you have a beautiful open world but I have five free hours of time in a week and I’ll probably never get through the intro

[bg3womenconfessions]

Every "what your bg3 romance says about you" video i saw said "you think you can fix her, you like goth girls etc." about Shadowheart and it couldn't have been more wrong, bcs i AM the goth girl with problems and i absolutely do not think i can fix her but we can get worse together (we could make each other go to therapy).

And i would love to go out with Shadowheart and take shots in a random bar and then cry in the bathroom then we could fix up each other's makeup and then share a cigarette and make out

[sleepingdeath-light]

shadowheart smut hcs ; 18+

requested by ; nobody / self indulgent

fandom(s) ; baldur’s gate 3

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; shadowheart (including: her dark justiciar ending, her selunite ending, and how she is during the main game)

outline ; “smut hcs for shadowheart”

warning(s) ; sexually explicit content, switch!shadowheart, sadomasochist!shadowheart, lingerie kink, corruption kink, role play, praise kink, body worship

minors and ageless blogs will be blocked

main game shadowheart / general headcanons

she’s a switch by nature and can be either a harsh dominant who delights in putting you in your place and flaunting her authority and power over you, or a bratty submissive who is intent on making you earn your place in her bed and won’t make her submission come easy — her demeanour remains the same for the most part regardless of her role, as in she’s not going to suddenly become an obedient little princess once she’s in your bed and allowed you to sexually dominate her, but when she’s subbing she’s more likely to try and push your buttons and try and get you to break and punish her (or, at the very least, to prove to her that you’re able to keep her under control without taking things too far and breaking an agreed upon boundary)

she does have some sadomasochistic tendencies and certainly won’t shy away from rougher forms of play if that’s what you enjoy (e.g. spanking and other forms of impact play, choking and other forms of breath play, hair pulling, marking, etc.), but it’s not exactly something that she brings up during a casual encounter unless you’ve already displayed an explicit interest in those things — otherwise she’ll only really bring up that side of herself after you’ve already been intimate once or twice and are familiar enough with each other to engage in that sort of thing without taking any serious risks (of course being a cleric herself she’s more than capable of healing you both if things get dicey, but she’d prefer to save her energy and spell slots for a time when they might actually be needed, i.e. one of those battles your ragtag group somehow keeps running headfirst into every couple of hours on your way back to baldur’s gate)

shadowheart generally prefers to be on the bottom of whatever position you’re in (and will rebuke any accusations of her being a ‘pillow princess’ because of this preference with about as much sass and snark as you might have come to expect from her), but she’s not completely opposed to topping if you’re less experienced than her or just really uncomfortable doing that (sex isn’t as enjoyable if only one of you is getting off, so if you mention your preferences or limitations to her then she’ll just help you work around them without getting offended or turned off or anything like that) — when it comes to the actual positions themselves, though she’s pretty much up for anything that she can comfortably contort her body to accommodate there are a set few positions that are unbeaten favourites of hers: missionary, cowgirl & reverse cowgirl, and wall/standing sex

while she’s not one to dress up herself (not least of all because your current lifestyle doesn’t really make purchasing and carrying around impractical outfits like lingerie very feesable) she definitely makes her appreciation known whenever you make an effort to pretty yourself up for her and won’t make any attempts to disguise her flirtations or the way her eyes are trailing up and down your body — bonus points if you surprise her with this after bringing her to a secluded area away from camp with plenty of good (or at the very least not-as-shit as the stuff you usually end up getting stuck with on the road) wine and enough food to keep you going until you’re forced to walk back to camp and actually get some rest before another day of travelling, fighting, and problem solving

she’s very talkative during foreplay, both as a domme and a sub, and she’s more than capable of using a mixture of praise and teasing and demands in order to get you into bed with her — the better she knows you the better she gets at pushing your buttons, quickly picking up on exactly what language, what phrases and in what order, are the most effective at getting whatever response she wants out of you (be that to make you flustered and aroused, to help guide you into sub-space, or to goade you into fucking her into her ‘bed’ until she’s too far gone to think about the tadpoles in your heads or her future under lady shar’s guidance)

you’re far from her first partner, which is something she’s never tried to hide from you, and even if she can’t remember specifics in her current state it’s still abundantly clear that shadowheart knows exactly what she’s doing (even if it does take her some time to adapt to your specific needs and preferences as a lover) — this also means that if you’re inexperienced with others that she’s familiar enough with her own body and what she enjoys to help you out and guide you (she will absolutely tease you for it, as she does with most things, but it’s not intended maliciously and she does let you know that she appreciates your efforts and that your lack of experience nothing to be ashamed of)

shadowheart equally enjoys giving and receiving oral, but she does have some preference when it comes to how you both go about either of the two — when she goes down on you she tends to take her time with you, giving you just enough stimulation to make sure that you feel something and react to it without giving you enough to actually push you over the edge, refusing to go further until you stroke her ego enough and beg for it in the way you know she likes (and then she’ll go rough and fast, skilfully pushing you through orgasm after orgasm until there are tears streaming down your cheeks and your voice is too hoarse for her to even hear what you’re saying anymore)… and when she’s receiving oral she much prefers to mount your face and just be able to use you to get off, riding your tongue and lips as you grope at her thighs and moan and groan into her cunt, trying to keep her voice steady as she praises and teases you, not stopping until you lose your patience and grab onto her hips and take control from her (or, if she’s the dominant one that evening, until you perform the agreed upon safe-action and snap her out of her fervour)

dark justiciar shadowheart specific headcanons

she’s equally as comfortable topping or bottoming for you, but once she’s accepted her new role in the nightsinger’s church shadowheart becomes much more confident as a domme and much less willing to hand over control to anyone else in any context — and as a domme she becomes much more sadistic and willing to degrade and hurt you (that being said, she still never crosses your agreed upon boundaries and never does or says anything that will push you away from her or leave any serious lasting damage in its wake — she may be crueler these days, and her lady may not permit any outside attachments, but she still does care for you and doesn’t want to lose what little of your connection still remains before her goddess forces her to cut you off)

she’s comfortable enough with flirting and playing with you in public and semi-public settings as long as you don’t act overly familiar or intimate with her (she’s a dark justiciar now, love isn’t something that’s welcome in her world) — so while groping, grinding, spanking, fucking, and making out are all on the cards as long as she’s not in a sacred place or around company where such acts wouldn’t be permitted, things like kissing, hugging, cuddling, and the sharing of ‘sweet nothings’ are all off limits for you both

in previous years she was never too fond of being called any specific thing in the bedroom, nor did she ever feel the need to call her bedmates anything in turn, but recently she’s found herself to be extremely receptive to you referring to her by her title (‘dark justiciar’, ‘justiciar’, or even ‘mistress’ in the right circumstance), and calling her that is pretty much guaranteed to have her giving you a look that promises nothing short of an eventful evening and a struggle to walk the next day — honestly doing anything that praises her for (or generally just emphasises) her devotion to lady shar and her role in her church is enough to appeal to her ego and get her hot under the collar (does this count as a religious kink? maybe)

she has a very distinct and obvious corruption kink and constantly teases you about leading you down a darker path and converting you to her lady’s church, sprinkling these comments in amongst her usual teasing when she’s got a finger or two inside of you (or when you’re inside of her) — granted for as much as she wishes you’d join her, shadowheart does still value you as a person and won’t force you to convert as she has others in the past… but if you engage in a bit of roleplay in the bedroom and decide to indulge her thoughts and lean into the whole corruption and conversion thing then she’s definitely not going to be complaining about that (in fact it’s only going to make her more aroused and more desperate to hear you scream her name)

because she’s no longer able to publicly claim you as a partner, nor behave in any sort of way that might indicate a sense of monogamy or devotion between the two of you, shadowheart has developed something of a marking kink when it comes to you and you’ll rarely make it out of an encounter with her without an obvious mark or two — most of her marks are hickies and bites as those are the easiest for her to give you, but she’s also partial to the idea of permanently branding or scarring you in some way (with your express approval, obviously)

as a justiciar shadowheart’s pretty much always busy with some task or another (overtaking a town, demolishing ‘lesser’ gods’ temples and artifacts, educating and finding new recruits, helping other believers settle into their new roles in the church, etc.), which means that it’s exceptionally rare that the two of you are able to afford to be with each other for more than a few minutes at a time — thus quickies have become a necessary staple of whatever it is you share: pushing each other against the wall and making out with your hands under each other’s clothing to hurriedly get off before she’s called off to the thousandth meeting of the week, bending her over her desk and fucking her to completion (or vice versa) before she’s set to retire for the evening, sneaking away during a rare get together with old friends to get off amongst the shrubbery and returning back to camp before anyone noticed your absence, etc… (needless to say you both become very familiar with each other and consequently very effective at making the most of what little time you have)

she prefers positions that allow her to be more detached from you as she struggles to fully repress her old feelings when she’s with you: doggy, concubine, reverse cowgirl, one of you facing the wall and the other stood behind you, and so on — if she can’t see your face then she can’t get distracted by things that should no longer influence her, which means that you can both keep seeing each other without shar’s explicit disapproval

selunite shadowheart specific headcanons

after a lifetime’s worth of pain and strife, she finds herself settling into her new quieter life with you and greatly enjoying the chance to slow down and appreciate the little things about being in a relationship that she would have never given much thought before you — this naturally means that she leans more towards long and thorough foreplay (with lots of body worship, praise, and playful banter) as opposed to quickies focused on just getting you both off as soon as possible (it also means that she’s much more cuddly and affectionate after sex, but that’s neither here nor there)

she prefers positions that allow for the most intimacy and connection, such as missionary or spooning, but there are occasions where she wants nothing more than to just be fucked stupid until the pains of her past can’t reach her at which point she generally doesn’t care what position she’s in as long as it ensures you hit all the right spots inside of her when she needs you to — either way, she’ll still appreciate you making the effort to make her more comfortable (grabbing her hands and squeezing them reassuringly, kissing her lips/cheeks/spine/shoulderblades/neck, whispering comforting words and sweet nothings just low enough for her to hear them, etc.), and know that she’s always going to do the same for you when she’s able to do so

as much as she adores the relaxing mundanity and routine of your new life together, she can still appreciate shaking things up with some roleplay here and there — usually this means roughly recreating certain scenarios from your adventuring days or handpicked scenes from the books you’ve picked up from stores much like sharess’ caress, they’re always a little bit silly and a smidge awkward at first as you each take some time to settle into your roles, but it’s always a good deal of fun and absolutely worth the time it takes to set up beforehand and clean up after you’ve had your fun (she always insists on being very thorough about this after going to sleep after one half-assed cleaning and waking up to some assorted flower petals stuck to her backside… including one that she later realised to be an irritant if left in contact with the skin for a long period of time, like sleeping on it for several hours… needless to say she was not pleased about that)

settling down doesn’t make her tongue any less sharp and even years after making a home with you she’s still just as able to tease and banter with you as she was back on the road to baldur’s gate — of course nowadays her remarks aren’t as biting and usually come when she’s either being a brat and goading you into taking charge, or when she’s teasing you for being so reactive to her touch as a domme, and there’s a lingering softness in her voice that was never there before, but rest assured that domestic bliss hasn’t tamed that part of her and, gods willing, it never will

now that she’s settled down and actually has a stream of income, she’s much more able to doll herself up to surprise you after you’ve been out tending to the garden and the animals all day — she has an extensive collection of lingerie sets in different styles that all somehow manage to suit her perfect despite the stark differences in design and materials from one set to the next

she’s very vocal about how much she enjoys watching you work the land and how distracting of a sight it is for her, especially if you happen to roll up your sleeves to do it, which naturally means that the best way to rile her up is to do exactly that and then ask her if she wants to go inside and take a quick break from your daily chores — you will not make it to your bedroom, you barely make it far enough into the house to land on the settee before she’s on you because she knows exactly what game you’re playing at and she’s not about to waste any more time than she needs to in order to get exactly what she wants

shadowheart is a big fan of outdoor sex so long as nobody else is around to catch you — for example, she’s perfectly fine making love to you on the beach beside a secluded lake or in the middle of the forest on a moonlit night, but she’ll politely shut down any propositions from you if she knows that there are other people close enough by that they could hear you and catch you both in the act

[seiless]

This may get a bit dark, but how about some heavy hurt/comfort. I used my irl d&d campaign as my Astarion route Tav (tiefling wild magic sorceress) intending for BG3 to be the next adventure in her storyline after the d&d campaign... then my DM threw some really messed up angst at her, knowing I'm a lover of angst and Astarion. Turns out her mother (a queen & sorceress) had been using her as a pawn to seduce, charm, and eliminate rivals who wished to usurp her throne, then erased the memories and planted false ones.

So maybe dome hurt/comfort of Astarion when Tav finds out what she's actually been through, her life has been a pie, etc etc? If this is too heavy/too specific, pls just delete but the campaign has been being A TIME for me and I need some Astarion affection

(The first prompt is finished, at last! Many more to come! U V U)

You were used. Of course you were. If all your other companions had some sort of difficult or twisted past, why would you be any different?

But it wasn’t that you had one as well that bothered you. What had your stomach in knots and your heart twisting apart was the fact that it had been happening your whole life…and you hadn’t ever once noticed.

That you weren’t just your mother’s daughter; no, far from it. You were your mother’s tool. A weapon for her to wield, to manipulate and coerce others to do what she needed them to do.

Not only did you never have a say in the matter…you didn't even realize it. Not until your memories were forcefully returned by the tadpole and broke whatever insidious curse that kept the truth at bay.

They didn’t come all at once; they started as nightmares, over the course of months. The kind that became more frequent, more vivid.

And then the realization struck; they weren’t nightmares at all. They were memories. Shadowheart helped you come to this realization when you explained what you were suffering through each night.

Astarion had been awre of these dreams that tormented you; sharing a tent did make that easy. But you had insisted he not worry; it was your problem to resolve, and he had enough he had to deal with.

But that didn’t stop him from keeping a close eye on you. So when you strode from Shadowheart’s tent that night and made a beeline for your own, he could tell quite clearly something was wrong.

His gaze flicked to Shadowheart, who had lingered at the entrance and watched as you steppped away. She was worried; that much was obvious.

Astarion pursed his lips, but knew there was little time to wait. With a lift of his chin and a fluff of his tunic, he made his way over to the tent you had disappeared into.

Of course, he could hear the sobs before he’d even reached you. The sound was muffled, pressed into the palm of your hand. 

It did make his heart twist. You had done so little to deserve such distress (well, in his unbiased opinion).

His initial thought was to dismiss any heartfelt attempt at comfort, say something lighthearted and teasing to break the heaviness that suffocated the tent.

He thought better of it, and instead reached out to take hold of your hand, gingerly forcing your attention away from the bedroll you had all but pressed yourself tightly into.

You turned your head some, offering a little acknowledgement to the vampire.

But there was little else you could do; not without a whole new waterfall of tears gushing forth.

“What did they say?” He asked gentlyin a soft voice; gentle enough that it might coax you from the whimpering.

You shook your head, averting your gaze back to the dirt in front of you.

“It was all real. The nightmares…t-they were memories. All of it. .I was…I was a tool. A pawn, used by my own…” You choked back a sob, and he could hear your teeth grind as your jaw clenched tightly. My own mother.”

Astarion nodded quietly; he had suspected as much, given the vividness and the sheer amount of detail you were able to recall with each instance.

You bit your lip, squeezing his hand tightly.

“I don’t know what to think…the things I did for her, Astarion, what I thought was right, what would help her….the people I hurt, that I-!’

“I’m quite familiar with it, darling.” Astarion’s tone remained gentle, if only with a hint of a teasing lilt. “If it’s any comfort, at least you didn’t know the things you were doing were inherently wrong.”

You whipped your glare back to him, pulling your hand from his. “That doesn’t make it any better. That makes it worse. I couldn’t even atone for my sins because I thought it was the right thing to do. That I was doing it for her- Gods, I can’t believe…”

There was a deep, unending understanding in his heart. There were few who could understand what you were going through. 

“I…I am sorry, my love. I know exactly what you’re going through. To have come from your own mother is unfathomably awful. It is something no one deserves…least of all, you.”

You nodded, pushing the tears away as you worked to sit yourself upright. Your expression was bordering on embarrassed; sheepish. Like you were ashamed to be telling him any of this.

“Thank you, Asta, really. But…but I don’t think it’s anything like what you had to go through. I wouldn’t dare compare the two things.”

“You didn’t. I did. You weren’t given a say in your actions; certainly, you may not have been tormented and brutalized in a whole host of different ways, but-”

“My point exactly,” You frowned, this time moving to take his hand in your own. Your body was hot with sorrow; with anger. “You don’t need to try and-”

“I’m not doing anything other than giving you the same compassion you've shown me. You needn't belittle your experiences simply because it doesn't compare to my own.”

“I-I’m not trying to comp- I just- I’m sorry. I’m a mess.” You shook your head, pinching the bridge of your nose. “I don’t want to be this. I hate that this is what I am. I hate that she made me this way, and I didn’t even know it. And I don’t want to t-talk about it either, because I’m hardly t-the only one with issues like this!”

“But you still need time to process it, as we all did. And you will not be alone in this. Quite the contrary; I’m certain there’s a number of people that are willing to be there for you, aside from myself.”

“That’s…that’s true.” You sniffed, taking in a long, shaking breath in a feeble attempt to calm down. “I’m sorry. You're right, I’m just…I’m not in a good headspace. I do need some t-time to process it.”

“Couldn’t agree more, darling.” Astarion smiled softly, “Would you prefer to be on your own? I’ll gladly fuck off, if you demand it.”

“No.” You shook your head, holding out a trembling hand. “I want you to stay.” 

Cool fingertips skated over your palm, and laced with your own as he drew you gently into his chest. Deceptively broad, and reliably strong, you melted into him, unwinding your hands so that you could properly wrap your arms around him and fall into a much needed embrace.

Astarion laid you both down gingerly, prizing your comfort as the floodgatesopened once more.

You don’t know how long you cried, and at certain points, you weren’t entirely sure what your breaths were hitching for.

But when the storm passed, and you finally cried yourself asleep, Astarion was there.

Unwavering in his loyalty, reluctant to let you go for even a moment, his thoughts were filled only with you.

Well, you and a variety of schemes to take revenge on your mother, but you nonetheless.

You were there in the darkest of times, and knew you would remain at his side when he finally found the strength to face his greatest fears.

There could be no doubt that he would do the very same for you. He would never allow such a concern to ever cross your mind.

[galedekarios]

I pretty much consider you the expert in all things Gale so what is the current state of play with his romance route in terms of the bugs, scenes triggering? I really wanted to romance him as a 'what if' route but this stupid recent bug ruined my main first run where they were just friends with that damn stargazing bug we all keep getting where I had exceptional approval as non-romance and he said him and my Tav weren't close which really disappointed me as I consider their friendship just as important as any romance and that's been ruined for me now for my first run. Not to mention him telling Tav off for taking Raphael's offer before he had even offered. As it currently is, would you recommend holding off starting a Gale romance run for now and waiting for fixes or at the moment can decent progress be made? I really want to do it but I'm worried that nothing is going to trigger now. Thank you for your help either way! So disappointed all this messing around with him is causing issues in so many areas.

first of all i'm so sorry you had to wait so long, anon! i really hope you'll see this message. second, thank you for trusting me with this. it took a while to test because i had to nuke my old playthrough. it was so extremely bugged.

but to the good news.

i am happy to report that the gale romance is working again:

HOWEVER: i had to do jump through hoops to get it. i'm rn only using hirelings, in addition to (obvs) gale. i suspected the game is still having big problems with romance flags and it seems i was right. in my previous save i was close to several other companions like wyll, shadowheart, lae, halsin, etc., even though i didn't pursue them as alton. but they were still on high approval. it absolutely sucks that you have to completely avoid recruiting or talking to other companions to correctly trigger a romance scene at the moment.

the game is so extremely quick to assume that you are in a relationship after asking basic questions (halsin and karlach, for instance).

also sad to report that there's still no sign of the purple blanket that larian said was put into the game like, what? one patch and two hotfixes ago or something.

so all in all, i would say go for it if you can stomach playing with only hirelings alongside your chosen li. if you do want to take literally anyone else along and live for party dynamics then i would advise you to wait until larian gets a handle on things.

[animentality]

You ever think about how the fandom will go nuts trying to explain how Astarion is ~basically~ an elven child and how he’s absolved of all guilt for everything he’s done by the abuse he endured and yet… on the other hand we also have Gortash, who very literally was a child when sold to the hells and put through who knows what manner of abuse, saw who knows what messed up shit, who has had chances to do better, yes, but has also had to fight to survive and be more than just a beggar on the streets once he escaped. And he’s the totally evil and irredeemable one according to most fans. I’m not trying to woobify him btw, it’s just always interesting how every other character gets defended on the basis of “but cult conditioning/abuse/etc” but Gortash is uniquely the worst man alive. Which he is, but also. Cmon. Astarion has a long list of innocent victims and is a razors edge away from becoming the next cazador in any given play through and yet he’s a perfect uwu angel apparently. This isn’t about saying Gortash isn’t evil, this is about saying he’s not drastically more evil than a lot of other nuanced characters in this game who get defended by the fandom masses.

ANON if I could kiss you, I would commit tax evasion with you.

THIS.

Like I know Gortash is awful, but so is fucking everyone.

Shadowheart can become a Dark Justiciar and do awful things for Shar. Lae'zel and the githyanki are a bunch of pricks who kill their own kids for showing weakness and kill innocent people all the goddamn time. Minthara obviously slaughters a bunch of innocent refugees, if you allow her to, and as a drow, probably committed a cavalcade of evil actions.

Gale's blind ambition could've nuked a fucking town. He might not have intended to become a living bomb, but he did, and by running around Faerun, he WAS putting literally everyone within like five miles of him in mortal danger. Wyll would've killed Karlach if you weren't there, and he expresses this horror, because he has definitely killed innocents for Mizora before.

Astarion would've gladly become Cazador 2.0, if you didn't stop him. He might've started out ok, but he would descend into that same evil, using you until there was nothing left of you, and treating others the way he was treated, because he sees himself as a god now.

Even fucking Karlach...who is a sweetie, and god I love her...well fuck, didn't Gortash accuse her of knowing just how shady his shit was? She was a desperate kid, yes, and he definitely took advantage of her, but he explicitly calls her out for working for him, even though she knew he was shady (if not a Banite). Plus she was his bodyguard for years. As if your bodyguard wouldn't know you were being a peace of shit?

The WHOLE POINT of Baldur's Gate 3 is that you and your companions are defined by your choices.

The option EXISTS to SAVE THESE PEOPLE.

THERE IS NO OPTION TO SAVE GORTASH.

The game gives you the option of seeing him die one way or the other way.

I'm just SAYING it's not totally fair to act as if Gortash is truly irredeemable, when out of all the villains, he at least had an idea of a better world, even if it was still self serving and frankly awful.

He was slightly better than the Dark Urge, and they GET the choice of redeeming themselves.

He never does. And maybe he wouldn't have taken it, but that's really not the point.

You hit the nail on the head, bud.

Gortash is evil, no doubt, this is true, he is not just a victim of circumstances, he made every wrong decision he could've made...

But the fandom has no problem woobifying Astarion even though that scene with Sebastian is fucking soul wrenching.

They raise their hackles at Gortash, as though he's been alive for 200 years and lured thousands to their deaths/vampirism, and they forget that Lae'zel is absolutely awful, and approves every time you murder children in front of her.

And Shadowheart spent her childhood learning to torture people.

You can say well their crimes aren't equivalent- and yes, that is true, HOWEVER.

Remember that you have met them when they were powerless.

If given power...if they had never been mindcontrolled by parasites...well shit, they might've fucking killed you.

They might've become tyrants themselves. I know it's purely conjecture on my part, I just kinda...I don't even necessarily want a redeemed Gortash storyline.

I'm fine with him just being a villain!

I just also have a working brain that doesn't understand the reflexive urge to say, he couldn't redeem himself if he tried.

I think, in this fictional world of course, that redemption should be possible. I think if they are honestly trying, and they repay the debts they incurred, then it might be justified.

But we didn't get that choice, and neither did he, and honestly, with what the game presents...I can whole heartedly say no, he wouldn't have redeemed himself. Even if he could, he would not have done it.

But the possibility does exist.

Trying to deny it makes you look like a hypocrite as you insist Ascended Astarion is still an uwu baby.

Like nah, sweetie. Good luck with that.

[autistichalsin]

(Plastering an obligatory I AM A LESBIAN here.) (also, in retrospect this feels like soapboxing and if you feel uncomfortable in any way with me ranting about petty drama related to the harassment that you went through feel free to delete this ask)

Calling you lesbiphobic for not liking Minthara made me do a huge double take??

YES lesbiphobia is a problem, and people assigning lesbiphobia to not liking a character on the grounds that a lot of their friends who like her are lesbians only takes away from the actual severity of the word.

You can’t just wave words around. Is Minthara, as a character, a symbolization or statement about lesbianism in a way that critique or dislike of her character would imply some kind of inextricable problem with it?

Or has the way she’s seen or adopted in the fandom lead to her being inseparable from such subtext? And I don’t mean being liked by many lesbians simply because we think she’s neat or a cool character-

Is she known to be liked because we feel she represents something significant about lesbianism? Does the fact that many lesbians like her mean or present something notable about the lesbian experience, to the point where it’s a dialogue that can’t in good faith be ignored in discussions about her?

No. She’s openly sapphic, but she’s one of the many bisexual women companions, and while her queerness is an important facet of her character, the writing doesn’t linger on it- That is to say, it’s not a central theme to her character and story. She’s not seen as some grand statement or character symbolizing something about lesbianism in the fandom, either. A lot of us simply.. like her. (And that’s completely fine!!)

On top of that, she’s explicitly (EXPLICITLY) a EVIL character to boot. She’s a horrible person- she was THE evil route companion. (And, again, her evilness has nothing to do with her being a sapphic woman.) And that’s great! I like her because she’s an apologetically horrible woman who’s allowed to be unapologetically horrible And a woman without being punished specifically for that.

But somebody disliking her- as a character- as a fictional, made of pixels, not real character- BECAUSE of the numerous horrible evil things she does- isn’t lesbiphobia. And even if it was, that wouldn’t be grounds the harass them for it.

Thank you anon- and don't worry. I'm going to start taking things as discourse so those who don't want to see anymore don't have to because I feel like I've put enough sadness on their pages, but I definitely wanted to respond to this.

(The irony here is that I ALSO am a [nonbinary] lesbian, but they've made really gross implications that because of my thirsty posts about Halsin, I'm just lying...)

Yeah, it really is wild that not liking HER of all characters got me called that. But I guess, like... thanks for being so transparent, I guess??? Like it literally was never about any issue they pretended it was, it was literally that I didn't like their Drow Dommy Mommy.

Your point is totally correct, but I do have the feeling that if you asked them, they WOULD say that Minthara represents something "inherently lesbian" (I guess the lesbian quality of... being a terrible person who supports slavery? It's lesbiphobic to not support slavery I guess) such that rejecting her is rejecting lesbianism itself. And it's worth noting that this group of people are INCREDIBLY biphobic- they hate when you say Minthara is bi, as well as Shadowheart, and they say shipping SH with men is "icky." Which tells you all you need to know really.

They deny she's evil. Straight up. They literally ask what she did that was evil, feigning ignorance, or say it was sweet and romantic etc. The way they accuse others of not being able to tell fantasy from reality is because they themselves can't do it.

[unhingedbutpretty]

20 TAV/OC QUESTIONS

I made it as suggested by @thetavolution! I'm tagging @clandekariios because I'd love to see it for the family, @felynafae, @lanafofana, @certifieddragonenjoyer , @jellymellydraws (because I feel like Rose deserves it xD) and anyone else who wants to do it, feel yourself tagged! But please it's not a pressure tag! Totally optional.

Nyssala Baenre

I. what do they smell like at their freshest? (and/or after a tenday. your choice)

She loves floral perfumes like cloves and roses, with a touch of cinnamon.

II. what would their blood taste like to vampires?

I guess it would taste either like the drinks she consumes the most (cheap, dry, red, citric wine) or as barmy citric fruit brewed with too much sugar on it.

III. how would they kiss their LI?

She is very adaptive and can vary the way she kisses, adapting to the tastes of the LI (a skill she acquired in her years as a sex worker). If given the liberty, though, she's all into nibbles and sucklings, and she loves to bite and scratch. Although she pretends otherwise, she loves to leave red marks and nail trails.

IV. how do they sleep with their LI (what position, does one steal the blankets, is one too hot/cold, etc)?

She had learned to sleep (or trance) with one eye open, so she is a very light sleeper. She’s always cold, so she'll monopolize the blanket (or she'll hide under her LI for warmth).

V. what does their tent area look like? where do they prefer to pitch their tent (next to water, covered on three sides, etc)?

A total mess, but no one can tell this until they go inside. The exterior area is pristine, clean and organized with fluff pillows and a comfortable carpet around a narghile, but there are piles of junk hidden inside every crate or canva, and inside backpacks her belongings are in complete disarray since she just tosses it there and forgets that they exist — just like pretty much every other aspect of her life :’D

VI. if they had a set of dnd dice, what would they look like?

Pink and gold metallic dice (she'll never financially recover from that purchase)

VII. do they collect anything (gems, bottles, keys, etc)?

Do debts and abusive ex-lovers count?

VIII. if either, are they part of the astarion/gale book club (magic & literature) or the wyll/shadowheart book club (trashy romance novels)?

Completely into Wyll/Shadowheart book club, with the addition of her own erotic novels.

IX. if they had to be put in a “get along shirt” with a companion, who would it be?

Either Astarion or Jaheira. Astarion because they're always sassing over each other, resulting in long bickerings of mutual venom spilling. Jaheira because she is the “High Harper” and this group refused to help Nyssala flee from Menzoberranzan, so she's a bit sour against them. 

X. do they prefer speak with dead or speak with animals?

She likes speak with animals (like a disney princess), but uses speak with dead more often, for some reason.

XI. what are their thoughts on clowns?

A poor career choice (actually she wanted to become one, but was refused in every audition she made - it seems that Underdark humor is not very appreciated in the surface, so she became salty about clowns in general).

XII. their companions are gossiping about them behind their back! who is it and what are they saying?

She is the major gossipper of the party, but probably Astarion would talk shit about her “lower tastes” for foods and drinks (she's not very selective, and due to her financial problems she often consumes whatever is cheapest), or disclosing how much Nyssala would be an easy prey for vampires, given her former profession… Or a general gossip about how she managed to stay alive all this time (since disaster seems to follow her everywhere), complainings about how overall careless and financially irresponsible she is, the family name she never disclosed to anyone until Minthara came to camp, or why the hell she is dancing with a sword at the riverbank alone at night. She pretends it doesn't affect her, because she is somehow convinced that she doesn't deserve people's affection anyway.

XIII. what makes them laugh? what does their laugh sound like?

She has the silliest sense of humor, it's pretty easy to make her laugh, actually. As a child, she had a noble education, so she learned how to laugh “politely”. She also practiced charming and cute smiles to charm customers of Sharess’ Caress into buying another drink. But if left unchecked, the girl can cackle real LOUD, so she does whatever is possible to avoid that, since she learned the hard way that people often find it annoying.

XIV. do they have any inside jokes among their companions?

Probably she has some with Minthara, since they both hail from the same place and very likely know about the same people. I also headcanon them gossiping in their mother tongue about drow nobility and other companions.

XV. what’s the description of their camp clothes in the inventory menu?

“This is made of fine fabrics and delicate silvery details. Things like this are probably the source of half of her debts.”

XVI. what’s the description of their underwear in the inventory menu?

“The lace embroidery reads: free to stare, $40 to touch.”

XVII. how do they celebrate their birthday?

During the day, she buys herself a good birthday gift (one that most certainly further compromises her financial life). At night, she hangs out with her friends/coworkers to dance and get drunk on cheap alcohol.

XVIII. what modern day tv show would they binge over a weekend? do they get their LI to watch with them?

She'd be a sucker for doramas (romantic and comedy ones) or true crime series. Or both. But she'd watch whatever her LI is watching because she wants to please them so bad.

XIX. do you have a playlist for your tav? if so, what’s the title + description?

Amor de Quenga - Pablo Vittar (this is in Baldur's Gate, before the game, where she had given up on romance after several romantic disasters)

Baby Said - Måneskin (before the game)

How to Be a Heartbreaker - Marina and the Diamonds (also before the game)

Angry Too - Lola Blanc

Blues da Piedade - Cássia Eller (originally by Cazuza, but I like her version more)

I Miss the Misery - Halestorm

Hot Girl Bummer - Blackbear

Wasabi - Little Mix

Mad Hatter - Melanie Martinez

I'm a Mess - Bebe Rexha

911 - Lady Gaga

Panic Attacks in Paradise - Ashnikko 

Bad Girl - Avril Lavigne

Sweet but Psycho - Ava Max

Zitti e Buoni - Måneskin

Raise Hell - Dorothy

Kiss and Make Up - Dua Lipa & Blackpink

Beggin' - Måneskin (originally by Madcon)

Typa Girl - Blackpink (endgame, if she manages to pay off her debts)

Empire - (G)I-dle (endgame, if she manages to grow her ambitions)

XX. if you were to try pickpocketing them, what would they be carrying?

Make up, hair pins, and excerpts of dirty song lyrics and erotic novels written by herself.

[tavyliasin]

Baldur's Date SFW Collection!

Welcome to the SFW Baldur's Date Collection!

First of all I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who participated! For those who don't have AO3, or wanted to repost their works here, please reblog and add your entry, or pop a link to it in the description!

Please take a look at the whole collection, or the links below the cut for the summaries and links to individual pieces. Don't forget to leave a little kudos and maybe a comment for the creators if you can~ everyone worked hard and came out with some truly wonderful pieces. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

The SFW Baldur's Date Collection!

one day at a time by VampiricHunger Summary - five years passed since Wyll's wedding, but every year the city has festivities on the day, celebrating love and good wine. you too feel in a mood to go out but Astarion needs some convincing. he's not keen on mingling with others outside the palace. still, he agrees to go along, only for things to turn out less pleasant than expected. but he's there to protect you, no matter what. CWs and Tags - Astarion (Baldur's Gate)/Reader, Ascended Astarion/Spawn reader, Astarion/Tav (Baldur's Gate), Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Female Reader - Character, Vampire Ascendant Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Reader-Insert, POV Second Person, no y/n used etc, Vampire Spawn Tav (Baldur's Gate), Ascended Astarion, Jealousy, a tavern brawl, MC gets slightly hurt, protective astarion, Vampiric Fluff

truly (i see you) by VampiricHunger Summary - Ketheric Thorm defeated, Isobel and Aylin reunited, all of this and more are worth celebrating over. and Aylin makes sure that everyone knows that tonight you're drinking to victory, to goodness and love triumphing. so when everyone returns to Last Light Inn, you realize this is a good chance to show Astarion that he matters to you, even if he's not the biggest fan of poetry. CWs and Tags - Astarion (Baldur's Gate)/Reader, Astarion/gn reader, Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Gender Neutral Reader - Character, Fluff, we're getting kinda sappy in this one

What Comes After by Ankheg Summary - Following yet another session of penance with the Loviatan priest Abdirak, He Who Was is forced to endure another infliction of the aftercare he so insisted upon. And yet, with each session it feels like less of an infliction, and the shadar-kai finds himself with a question burning on his tongue that he thought he would never dare ask. CWs and Tags - Abdirak/He Who Was (Baldur's Gate), Abdirak (Baldur's Gate), He Who Was (Baldur's Gate), Aftercare, blood mentions, Hair care

Iron Flowers Never Wilt by Tavylia_Sin Summary - Barcus Wroot has a little problem. It has been a long time since he's thought about finding a new…friend…and now someone has caught his eye, he isn't exactly sure what he should be doing about it. Lucky for him, he has had the good fortune to have met a certain group of misfits who all have their own idea of romance. Can they help him plan the perfect date for the one he wants to woo?… CWs and Tags - Zevlor/Barcus Wroot (Baldur's Gate), Barcus Wroot, Zevlor (Baldur's Gate), Tav (Baldur's Gate), Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Lae'zel (Baldur's Gate), Shadowheart (Baldur's Gate), Withers (Baldur's Gate), Wyll (Baldur's Gate), Karlach (Baldur's Gate), Dammon (Baldur's Gate), Halsin (Baldur's Gate), pure fluff, Baldur's Date, Barcus deserves better, giving Barcus Wroot the nicest day ever, multiple hinted background pairings, not even a hint of scandalous ankle

Lover boy (Astarion/Zuko) by PixelPyrope Summary - Astarion meets a rich guy and must get out from his situation with his ex and boss to live a better life with a man who actually loves him. CWS: Sex work, very threatening texts, stalking, 5+ year age gap (22 & 31), weed/drugs, blood/biting, big trauma. CWs and Tags - Astarion/Tav (Baldur's Gate), Astarion (Baldur's Gate)/Original Male Character(s), Astarion & Tav (Baldur's Gate)Gale (Baldur's Gate), Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Tav (Baldur's Gate), Original Characters, Karlach (Baldur's Gate), Lae'zel (Baldur's Gate), Shadowheart (Baldur's Gate), Wyll (Baldur's Gate), Halsin (Baldur's Gate), Age Difference, Named Tav (Baldur's Gate), Sugar Daddy

[whitegoldtower]

My BG3 OC, Tam’lin:

(Lolth-Sworn Drow (by birth, not choice) || Szarkai || Ranger (Gloomstalker) || Folk Hero)

(High DEX, CON, WIS. Medium INT, STR. Low CHA. Proficiencies in Insight, Stealth, Arcana, History, Medicine and Athletics. Uses a Longbow and Dual Daggers.)

🕷️ He was raised to be a Lolth-sworn Szarkai in Menzoberranzan for House Baenre. Once he matured, he was sent to the surface as a spy, but did a runner when he realised how much nicer it was on the surface (no female drow ordering him around), and became a gloomstalker ranger. His familiar is a spider named Janet. Personality-wise, he’s a bit like if you crossed Aragorn with Geralt of Rivia.

🕷️ He has a little bit of beef with Shadowheart when she makes the comment about Lae’zel’s people when they first meet (“more like the Gith have a problem with everybody else”), at which point he gets quite arsey with her (“Ah, well, then I should have a major problem with both of you, because I am a drow. Yet I freed you, and I’ve made a friend of this one. Make it make sense.”)

🕷️ He has good intentions but has a habit of saying the wrong things (or saying the right things, but saying them too harshly). He gets misread a lot, a good example being when Matthis asks him whether it’s true that Drow “steal children”, to which he leans down and asks “Do I frighten you?” - it looks threatening af but he’s just trying to be nice and sympathetic

🕷️ Aradin says “Put your claws away, under-elf.” Tam’lin socks him one, right in the mouth.

🕷️ Kagha tries to bootlick him (“A beloved child of Lolth!”) not knowing that he’s literally run away from Menzoberranzan and his duties, and he’s so offended by her brown-nosing and disgusted by her treatment of Arabella that he offers to assassinate her for Zevlor. But that’s not to say that he thinks Arabella is entirely innocent; when he meets her afterwards, he tells her off (as gently as he can)… and (purely out of distress bc Teela could have easily killed Arabella) snaps a little at her parents.

🕷️ He’d rather reason with / at least hear out a ‘monster’ than just kill them. Hence why he stands in front of the crossbow aimed at Sazza, gives Astarion the benefit of the doubt after the bite scene (even though he pitches a teeny weeny fit at first), tries to talk to the Owlbear, talks to the spiders in the goblin camp instead of instantly killing them, etc.

🕷️ Minthara scares the shit out of him, but as per the above statement, he’s willing to hear her out (he views the surface as neutral territory, where she has no power over him, and he can do what he likes), and also because he recognises her. Yes, she’s his cousin. Yes, she tries to get a bit Targaryen with it when he speaks to her. So he provokes her on purpose, and whilst holding her off, is shrieking repeatedly at Gale “MAKE HER SLEEP! MAKE HER SLEEP!”, to which Gale panics and spams the spell like “GOODNIGHT! GOODNIGHT GOODNIGHT! GOODNI-“

🕷️ Isn’t romancing anybody. But he viciously wants driderman. He sees Kar’niss for the first time and a fruity, pocket-sized party tiefling sets off fireworks in his brain. 🎉🕸️😍🕸️🎉 he’s touching his chicken about it.

🕷️ deeper than that, though, he wants to look after Kar’niss. Because Kar’niss seems like he’s suffered the fate that Tam’lin should have suffered. By all accounts, Tam’lin should be a drider, too. He’s not just attracted to Kar’niss; he has love for him.

[trickstarbrave]

ive seen people saying you can only be like, good or hilariously cartoonishly evil in bg3 but uhhhhh no you can just be like a dick? because it benefits you? you can do that a lot?

you can let shadowheart become a dark justicier. you can make astarion bite the drow lady. you can convince gale he would be a better god of magic. you can refuse to do the right thing because its more of a hassle, without acting like a mustache twirling villain. dont believe karlach and kill her bc wyll said to. refuse to recruit either of them and leave them to their own devices. dont recruit halsin, or dont save thaniel. let astarion ascend. dont help out arabella because "she stole let the druids find their own justice, it doesnt concern you" etc etc

"well i dont consider that being bad" why not??? because it doesn't make you feel bad? because its harder to do the right thing in those situations? because it benefits you? a lot of bad people don't think of themselves as evil, they think of themselves as people just doing what the can to get by. they don't want to get involved in other people's problems. they have enough on their plate. they had big plans they can't compromise. etc etc etc.

a lot of lesser evils are just mundane things you can justify to yourself. of course the ones where you go out of your way to be as big of a dick as possible are cartoonishly evil, because you are going out of your way to be cartoonishly evil. but in bg3 there is in fact a middle ground between "goody two shoes who helps everyone they meet" and "kicked a puppy into an abyss and steals candy from babies"

[ardentkurashk]

1, 4, 7, 9 !!!

(For the new meme not the dialogue one!)

1. what do they smell like at their freshest? (and/or after a tenday. your choice) After a nice leisurely river bath; a mixture of earth & woodsmoke from travel and camping, leather & oils from armour care & a slight metallic fumy undertone still clinging to his armour from his time on the astral.

4. how do they sleep with their LI (what position, does one steal the blankets, is one too hot/cold, etc)? At the point he and Lae actually start sharing a tent (post Act 2 scene I think.) he'd still be a sprawler. But he'd be horizontal, using her belly as a pillow. Secretly finding her breathing really soothing. He's not a blanket person, so if Lae wants the blankets, no problem. Post Act 3 scene though, an absolute limpet. Arms around Lae'zel, head buried in her back, the comfiest sleep he's ever had. She rolls over, he just rolls with her. 7. do they collect anything (gems, bottles, keys, etc)? So during my playthrough, I ended up picking up anything with even a vague mention of githyanki in it. I had so many slates/books in my inventory by the end. I think he'd sit there going through them at camp of an evening, comparing them to his knowledge and experiences and absolutely dying of laughter at the inevitably terrible assumptions in some of them. I did also have an inventory full of gems and tbh I thin khe'd also be like "I could set this into a weapon, this one too, that one is a nice colour" like how many swords does one gith need?? 9. if they had to be put in a “get along shirt” with a companion, who would it be? Oooh I love this one. Okay, so during Act 1, he and Lae'zel clashed A LOT. He was way too chill for her and not nearly appalled enough by their castaway status on this primitive rock of a planet. When he says he's been to worse planets, she's not happy at all. He's the same age as her, HOW? (a story for another Act, sorry Lae) They bicker a lot to the point Shadowheart and Astarion genuinely think they're going to end up killing each other.

[fatalelity]

oh yeah here's tav! addison (or as i like to say ... taddie. bc haha tadpole .... okay bye)

basic rundown ( spoilers for act i mainly ) :

she was born to a dynasty of surgeons, doctors, spellcasters etc in baldur's gate

she's a medical doctor — trained surgeon to be precise, but god she is not a cleric and will go on a 'not all doctors are clerics fuck you' rant

a lover of wine, literature, and just having a good time mostly

she's a pacifist at heart so you can imagine how she feels with what happened to the goblins (yes, my party's on permanent knock ppl out mode)

oh on that note, she became an accidental necromancer... hahaha

being a variation of tav, she's special in the way that she has an innate ability to turn back time (never forward) — if you're familiar at all with "reset theories" this is what i'm going for. for those who don't know, the tldr is that she will remember every event that happens even if she goes to another spot in time (aka reloading a save state). she can't will it to happen. it triggers upon intense emotional responses. it's only been triggered twice in game. it'll take a toll on her and she won't be able to rest for at least two nights

so, that being said she is a sorcerer!

her main party at the moment are with shadowheart, karlach, and gale

she's definitely polyamorous. she has intense feelings for both shadowheart and gale, which is one of the points in the timeline that fucks her up the most

she really does like karlach, but probably wouldn't try to pursue a romance or whatever with her. they vibe. they get angry together. it's fun /*shrugs*

ACT ONE.

she accidentally got lae'zel killed by the tieflings who held her captive — she thought they'd leave the other in her hands but alas. they went into battle, rolled initiative and she wasn't fast enough to stop people... she still feels horrible about it

she's spurred events that lead to the druids attacking the tieflings twice — those were her two resets. she still feels guilty about it, even though the current timeline they are fine... mostly

needless to say, she did not side with the goblins. whilst she actively tried not to kill them, it's hard not to when you use magic and your self preservation instincts kick in

she didn't actually kill minthara, knocked her out real good and hoped she lived

she consumed a tadpole once and that was that

got beef with astarion, tbh they probably would've had hate sex or something idk man. it's a weird relationship she's either being really nice to him or roasting him alive

actively trying to get shadowheart the fuck outta sharran but like, won't judge her for her faith bc it's all she's got since her memories are literally taken away

she's learned to lie real well since travelling with the cohort

scratch, owlbear, arabella, plus mol's gang are her kids. do not fuck with them. i'm serious. she almost killed kagha during the first reset because of it.

unfortunately due to her being single minded of wanting to get the gang to baldurs gate and find answers, unless she sees your suffering, gets lost herself, and/or its something related to her personally she will not engage in the side quests

that being said, they did spend some time in the underdark but very briefly because they got lost and ended back in the camp

so instead, she opts to go through the mountain pass but again got lost and ran into ethel

she accidentally uses necromancy to make mayrina's husband er ... undead. needless to say she feels like a sack of shit for doing that and wants to undo it but this is ultimately mayrinas choice so she let's them be

since on the topic of necromancy, she does still have that cursed necromancy of thay book in possession. no idea what to do with it but yknow, it's not an active problem

in the mountain pass she will not make a detour to the creche, she will go straight to the shadow cursed lands

ACT TWO.

shes actively trying to not have gale go blow himself up... desperately.

there's some strain between her and the others minus karlach, her mvp ... the fires of avernus can sure be comforting in moments that feel so cold to her

I will say this : the decisions she makes here are NOT good. at this point she's mostly focused on keeping everyone alive and kinda forgot about the fact that halsin is Here to lift the curse

she follows kar'niss, does the whole cutscene at moonrise tower and reluctantly agrees to help balthazaar

she goes into his room and er, let's just say her party (NOT HER) took more than just the moonlantern

she will get lost because she's a rich girl from baldurs gate who never learned how to USE a compass ... anyways, let's say she does not go to the mausoleum first and ends up trekking backwards ....

before reaching last light inn, she meets the boy Oliver and plays only one round of hide n seek with him because she has a mission and that triggered the scene where she had to fight his family and pissed him off so royally that it locked her outta lifting the curse. oops. she doesn't know that though ...

when she finds dammon she will actually make the detour to find karlach her metal. she adores karlach. she wants her to live. she wants to give her a real hug.

during said metal excursion er .... let's say she finds her way into the house of healing and she found arabella's parents before arabella herself... the house of healing was where she did her first act of mercy killings outta the many

arabella obviously will stay in camp and tbh, she has this gnawing feeling so she looks around to see if there are any other surviving tieflings (there were not, she was distraught and during long rests the more restless companions can hear her cry in the corner)

i know she said no detours but she saw a night orchid by the cliff and HAD TO get it for shadowheart because God she would kill for some joy — shadowhearts little reaction / joke made her smile for the first time very sincerely

anyways, she finally finds their way into the mausoleum and ahahaha .... hahaha ....

the gauntlet of shar was probably one of the most painful things to witness shadowheart go through. she did not like it and in fact at some point she takes over and sacrifices her own blood

she ignores raphaels entire request lmao

uhm, I'd say what she did with balthazaar was er ... some misty steps, and she pushed him off a cliff out of self preservation

taps into shadowhearts goodness and let her lean into her own intuition which resulted in aylin being spared

after shadowhearts been exiled, she will literally do whatever means to comfort her oh dear God

jaheira does die in moonrise tower ... she feels like shit about it (lol what's new)

anyways, the big boss battle happens and they make their road to baldurs gate

ACT THREE.

say no to evolution god please. she hates the emperor and will do things to piss him off such as steal from the house of hope

she completes companion events in this order (as of now): shadowheart, astarion, karlach, wyll, gale

she didn't actively encourage shadowheart to kill her parents but shadowheart did; she DID actively encourage astarion to not ascend and free the spawns ... oops. monster hunters hate her so much rn

she's deeply tormented by orin. like i mean deeply. she's in despair. she wants it to stop so bad.

obviously she chooses aylin and isobel over some wizard in a tower

she wants to fist fight shar and mystra. so bad. she may be a healer but *cocks gun*

i will add more to this and then write a cohesive page as the game progresses here lol

[findingtarshish]

I got tagged by @kk7-rbs and @multi-lefaiye whom I tagged the first time around so its time for you all to see my round 2 Tav! (This time with extensive blorbo photography- she is absolutely adorable when she's not actively slaughtering her enemies. You must perceive her.)

No specific tags this time but anyone who wants to do this, pls consider yourself tagged and feel free to tag me so I can see your oc!

Name: Amelice Hunzrin

Nickname(s): Occasionally she goes by Ame, though she forced Dhourn to call her 'Lady Hunzrin'. Astarion calls her a variety of terms of endearment, 'my love', 'darling', etc, and she's given up trying to get him to stop. If you call her 'Eight-legs', you'd best roll initiative immediately.

Pronouns: She/her

Star sign: No clue I don't astrology sorry ;-;

Height: 5'8" (Formerly 7'6")

Orientation: Bisexual, with a noted preference for men.

Race: Lolth-Sworn Drow (Formerly Drider)

Romancing: Astarion. She and Shadowheart were very close, and she offered to date both of them, but Shadowheart chose to defer to Astarion after he confessed to Amelice. Amelice is a terrible person and enables all of Astarion's crimes, so they basically just go back and forth causing problems. But, on a more serious note, Amelice and Astarion understand each other on a level no one else does. They both know what it's like to be turned into a monster, to crave the lifeblood of others, and to be given a second chance- and they both aim to use that second chance for vengeance.

Favorite fruit: Amelice always had a soft spot for raspberries. Though, since they had to be imported from the surface, they were one of the few food items she couldn't indulge in regularly.

Favorite season: Seasons don't hold especial weight in the underdark, and since Amelice is only now exploring the surface, they're a novel thing for her. She's enjoying the summer, though.

Favorite flower: Roses! She's a bard, so of course she gravitates toward the romantic flowers.

Favorite scent: She would never admit it, but she loves the smell of farmland. The breeze over crops, the odor of animals, the misty clarity of irrigation water- it feels like the home she lost sixty years ago. It's an odd thing for a highborn noble to love, but she couldn't help but smile, standing in the wheat fields in Rivington. Astarion sometime teases her that for all her imperiousness, she's a farm girl at heart.

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: She's largely indifferent to coffee and tea, but she enjoys the decadence of hot chocolate.

Average sleep hours: Amelice suffers from horrific nightmares of her time as a drider that disrupt her sleep, so she always trances. Four hours out, over and done, then off to prepare breakfast before Gale can get his hands on the cook pot.

Dogs or cats: Rothé. She doesn't care for surface pets (though she has grown fond of Scratch) but livestock will always have a special place in her heart. Back in Menzoberranzan, she had a talent for calming them, which earned her an excellent reputation among the herders of Lake Donigarten.

Dream trip: Home. Amelice was banished from Menzoberranzan as a drider, and lived as a wanderer for nearly sixty years. She just wants to go home, stand among the bustling streets of Eastmyr, to look out over the mirrored black waters of Lake Donigarten, to once again fill her family's halls with music. She prays that once she has destroyed the Absolute and sent it to oblivion with naught but a prayer to Lolth to accompany it, she might once again be allowed to return.

Amount of blankets: Ame prefers to trance, so a blanket isn't really necessary for her. When she does sleep, though (if she's badly wounded, especially exhausted, or sick) she wants all the blankets. She needs a cozy cocoon to keep the nightmares away.

Random fact(s):

Ame possesses a spent and dormant Ring of Three Wishes, which she found on the body of a dead adventurer while wandering the Underdark as a drider. It only had one gemstone left, which she spent to reverse her transformation. She wears it on a chain around her neck, believing it to be a gift from Lolth- only a Wish can reverse a Drider's transformation, and it seemed too much of a coincidence for her to find exactly what she needed.

Amelice's oath is of Vengeance, specifically against her brother, who tampered with the priestess's mind during the Test of Lolth to to have the loyal and devout Amelice declared a treasonous heretic. He is directly responsible for the 60 years of torment she went through; worse, tampering with a priestess's mind is a serious offense against Lolth- in the Spider Queen's name, she intends to take his head.

Ame is deathly afraid of anyone delving into her mind as a result of the traumatic experience of her Test, and resists any such attempt, by violence if possible. It has left her with a... complicated relationship with the Emperor.

The greatest mistakes you can make around Ame is 1) disrespecting her and 2) standing alone in a place where, hypothetically, if you died, no one would notice. RIP 90% of Moonrise Towers, you should have watched each other's backs better.

Ame keeps the Cruel Sting with her, and Astarion frequently finds her holding it and just... staring at it, wondering if she would have ended up like Kar'niss if she hadn't found that ring.

She gets along extremely well with everyone in the Brainworm Squad (I think Wyll has the lowest approval at Very High) except Minthara, whom she hates. She is seriously considering murdering her for her apostasy- Minthara prayed to Lolth for protection, and Lolth delivered by guiding Ame to her; but when Minthara was safe, she began defaming and decrying the Spider Queen.

Ame and Gale fight over who gets to cook every single night. Lae'zel is deeply tired of it, while Astarion thinks it's hilarious. Ame has a lot of ego tied up in this, as a lady of House Hunzrin- they're supposed to be the epitome of hospitality and culinary excess!

Ame's dye color of choice is Jet and Pink Rose.

She has 30 AC.

[loyalhorror]

Vates & Masque

6: What companion are you platonically close with?

18: What would your Tav be doing if they weren't kidnapped on the Nautiloid?

23: What do they do after the absolute crisis?

6: What companion are you platonically close with?

vates: i think the answer in-game is probably astarion SDFKJSDFN since i was trying to romance him on that run but. well. you know. it's sort of hard to imagine them being friends but then i remember what a little bastard vates can be... also karlach though, i feel like those two would get along really well... who else was vates close to tek you tell me KLNSDKFN

masque: shadowheart is probably his best friend come to think of it. he's close with gale too but i think his bond with shadowheart is just like. different TM. they weren't that close for most of the game (probably because i was so focused on astarion's questline oops) but man.................

18: What would your Tav be doing if they weren't kidnapped on the Nautiloid?

vates: uhhhh god i honestly have no idea. i think they were probably just a wandering bard?? they'd probably arrived in baldur's gate really recently and then got fuckin yoinked so like. i imagine he'd just have been... being a bard. idk tbh

masque: probably soooomething to do with tying up all the loose ends of his old life under his mistress' command... i think once he was kidnapped his fey patron started to take care of some of that shit for him because he was otherwise, uh, occupied, and it's surprisingly decent for a warlock patron. there's probably still things he needs to deal with postcanon, so when he and astarion are going to either help the vampire spawn or settle down somewhere (or both, most likely) they're probably also getting rid of people here and there, erasing traces of who masque used to be, making sure masque's mistress never finds him again, etc...

23: What do they do after the absolute crisis?

vates: i have no idea! it's still going for him! probably just settles down though. let him rest and visit gale in waterdeep for tea and a chat

masque: depends on the playthrough SLDKFN but i'm leaning towards like... he and astarion make a home for themselves somewhere away from baldur's gate (too many unpleasant memories for both of them). they help out in the underdark with the vampire spawn where they can, and there's masque's shit above to deal with. they find problems worth solving here and there. but they steer away from more 'big picture' stuff and try to just enjoy being alive. masque is quietly looking out for a way for astarion to walk in sunlight again, but they agree it's like... a pretty far out hope. worth holding onto, but not obsessing over.

[veilkeeper]

Tav questions for Serenity: 9 + 13 + 14 + 16 + 26 (can you tell i like color schemes) + 33 + 58

a rare serenity ask.... alright here we go, i'll do my best but a lot of this is going to be subject to change when i actually get around to his pt

(questions from here)

9. What is your Tav’s biggest priority or goal?

this is so interesting bc theres like, the goal serenity is working towards and says he wants, and then there's the thing he actually wants but does nothing about. pre-tadpole, he'd tell you his goals align with his father's - he intends to do as is expected of him. secretly, however, he wants nothing more than to be rid of the Urge. post-tadpole, he's more honest about his goals.

13. How does your Tav fight in a combat situation?

so. a lot of people build their durges as like. sneaky assassin types. and i get that, it makes sense with the whole god of assassins, murder in the shadowy streets of baldur's gate thing. serenity however is a bladelock with a big fuck-off sword. he can stealth, he just doesnt care to once he's in an actual fight. he's a bit of a show-off - he likes letting people know he's got tricks up his sleeve and he can and will kill them. he likes when people are scared of him and his power before they die.

14. Does your Tav know any other languages besides Common? 

i really want to say yes, but truthfully, probably not. he spent most of his life in the temple of bhaal and i just dont think they're doing language lessons in there.

(putting the rest under the cut)

16. Which of the companions does your Tav trust most? 

extremely subject to change when i start vibe checking people but i suspect serenity is going to gravitate towards people in the moral middle-ground. he'll like astarion but not trust him, he'll like wyll but not trust him. lae'zel is more loyal to her people/queen than she'd ever be to him, etc. anyone too good or too morally dubious will raise his hackles, and anyone with loyalties that might conflict with his safety will do the same. so i think the best candidates for Trusted Besties are shadowheart and gale. keep in mind that especially in the early days, serenity is (ironically much like astarion) picking who he's trying to tie to him as insulation for if that Ominous Bloodlust in his head ever becomes a problem.

26. What is the most prominent color in your Tav’s color scheme?

pre-tadpole serenity followed typical temple of bhaal dress, a lot of black with red accents. gortash could... occasionally... convince him to wear nicer clothes and when that happened he liked to experiment with different colours. he's already playing dress up, right? might as well be completely out of character. it's not like he likes it............ shut up. post-tadpole he wears whatever he wants, and i will have so much fun experimenting with dyes to see what colour i like on him.

33. What is your Tav’s relationship with their family?

serenity intentionally stomps down any memory of their foster family, he does not want to think about them. not because they were awful but because they were so good and theyre the only victims of his he's ever felt bad about (not that he'd admit it). that leaves orin as his only "family" and... i think he wants them to be friends. i think he wants them to not be antagonistic towards each other, he wants them to be a team. but their father constantly pits them against each other and orin fucking hates him for being the Golden Child, so instead he does his best to keep things as civil as possible while knowing he's going to have to kill her one day.

58. What decision would your party have to make in order for Tav to consider splitting off from the group?

short of grabbing pitchforks and going after him, nothing. serenity is taking all of his moral cues from the gang since he's pretty sure what he thinks is cool is... an outlier opinion. like he's not going to try to take the moral high ground anywhere, because he was fantasizing about finding a nice spot to watch the goblins and tieflings tear each other apart.