#since I know nightsong is a whole Thing

[vanmarkham]

making shadowheart into a dark justiciar was cool as fuck. full magical girl transformation.

[trappedinafantasy37]

Let's talk about Shadowheart's newest evil ending.

Honestly, I think it looks pretty cool! I do like the way where it portrays Shadowheart as simultaneously pulling on the power of Selune and Shar at the same exact time. At first you might think this would be exclusive depending on the Nightsong choice. But, according to Dame Aylin, what belongs to Shar also belongs to Selune. Neither god can exist without the other and their powers are inverses to each other. Where there is darkness, there can be light, and Shadowheart has every intention of taking full advantage of it. I also like the little explanation as to how encapsulating the powers of both goddesses and forging her own path outside of them makes her feel whole as she otherwise would not be.

I also like that it demonstrates the absurdity of the centuries long fight between the two sisters by making it a mortal problem. The people we see are just killing each other solely because of their perceived allegiance to the "wrong god". And it's reminiscent of the petty conversation between Shadowheart and Isobel (the entire interaction is actually much more petty in the Shadowheart origin). These two characters had no justifiable reason to dislike each other except for the fact that their gods don't like each other.

To sum it up, Shadow is essentially pulling in the powers of both gods to become her own god and form a new church in her name. Instead of wasting her time being faithful to other gods, she is going to flip them off and make others be faithful to her instead. Thanks to her prior relationship with the Sharran cloister, she knows exactly what she needs to do to make people faithful to her and she will definitely lean into that Sharran training.

I have pulled my previous saves and can confirm that the ending is the same regardless of whether or not Shadowheart is a Dark Justiciar, and I don't think it should be. Before I really dive into it, her evil ending is out of character regardless of which path she goes down, although I think it makes more sense for Moon Shadow than DJ Shadow.

Dark Justiciar Shadowheart

I did see a complaint the other day on TikTok that DJ Shadow should say "in Shar's name" when she claims the brain similar to how Durge claims it in Bhaals name. I'm kind of on the fence about this one because Shar and Bhaal do not want the same things about the Absolute. We know that Shar does want the Absolute destroyed. So for DJ Shadow to claim the Absolute, she is renegading against Shar which is wildly out of character. And if she is renegading against Shar, she would not be claiming it in Shar's name but her own.

We all know and joke about how much of a terrible Sharran Shadowheart is, even as a DJ. But this is someone who has chosen their path and is fully dedicated to Shar. She has decided she will enact Shar's will to the letter and won't stray. Sure, maybe Shadow would stretch the rules over little and trivial things (like still having a situationship with her romance partner after Shar told her not to). But claiming the Absolute is way too big of a deal and I don't think DJ Shadow would do it. Essentially the most evil ending does not suite an evil Shadowheart cause it's not the right flavor of evil.

However, if DJ Shadow were to claim it in Shar's name, it would not at all be the ending we got. She would not use the Absolute to cause a civil war between people, nor would she become a new god in her own right, nor would she use an ounce of Selune's power (especially since DJ Shadow would not know how intertwined the sister goddesses are). DJ Shadow is a very dedicated and faithful servant of Shar and would never think to elevate herself to Shar's level. Shadowheart became a Dark Justiciar, not because she wanted the power of one, but because she wanted to be a better servant to her god. She would do the same with the Absolute. She would specifically use the Absolute to drive the world into Shar's "endless darkness". She would fill the people with hopelessness, despair, grief, loss. She would inflict all of Shar's doctrines on the world. She would bring people into Shar's embrace, not turn against Shar at the eleventh hour after everything she sacrificed just to get there. I can even see DJ Shadow using the Absolute to expand the bounds of the Shadow Curse if it isn't resolved. That is, if Shar would allow Shadowheart to claim the Absolute at all.

Moon Shadowheart

One of the things that is really easy to miss is that Moon Shadow never fully embraces Selune, which is why I have a hard time calling her a Selunite. Selune is most certainly stretching her arms out to Shadow, ready to embrace her, but Shadow has not taken that step yet. When she first rejects Shar, Shadow knows deep down that she is being empowered by Selune instead (because what belongs to Shar belongs to Selune) but Shadow is in active denial about it until Dame Aylin kind of forces her to accept the truth. One of her default endings is of her still calling Selune the "Moon Witch" and doesn't feel particularly drawn to her just yet. But she spends all six months attempting to learn about Selune, learn about herself and her past and see if maybe she can be drawn to Selune. All that is important to her is that Selune is not like Shar and will allow Shadow to forge her own path, even if Selune is not happy with it.

As ironic as it is, this is the version of Shadow that I can see taking the Absolute for herself, albeit still a little OOC. Moon Shadow will actually have the freedom to claim the Absolute for herself cause what is Selune gonna do? Stop her? Pfft, she didn't even lift a finger to save her own child from being tortured for a century (although not because she didn't want to but because she's following Ao's rules). Considering how Shadowheart's personal story line ends, I feel you could easily squeeze some evilness out of it. Now, this is a little headcanony to try to make some sense as to why Moon Shadow would claim the Absolute (even though it is all OOC).

In the event she kills her parents, Shadow gets thrown into grief, loss, and guilt. Despite the fact that she rejected Shar and is supposed to have been "embraced" by Selune, she is still experiencing all the same things as when she was just as devoted to Shar. So, she rejected Shar for what? She lost her god and she still feels like shit, she is still in pain. Sure, she could learn to get past this, but she may not. While holding the stones and on the verge of godhood, she realizes she has been nothing but a toy between two gods who don't know how to settle their issues maturely. One god has actively tormented her her entire life, while the other god knew it was happening and did absolutely nothing to help. Shadow betrays the Emperor and claims the Absolute to become a god. Using all her lessons from her time in the Sharran cloister, she could show Shar how it's really done and demonstrate to Selune what happens when you become too passive. And this Shadow knows about the entanglement between the two goddesses and could still call on Shar's endless darkness if she needed to and would use Selune's light as a method of torment rather than guidance. I honestly feel like she would purposefully imprison Dame Aylin again out of pure spite. As powerful as she may be, the aasimar is nothing against a god.

A Shadowheart that spares her parents is probably the least likely version to claim the Absolute, but I still think you could make it work. This version of Shadow is content with the curse tying her and her parents together because they have all agreed that whatever happens they will do it together. But perhaps she realizes that it doesn't have to be that way and she and her parents don't need to suffer. To endure the pain is to please Shar, and she is tired of pleasing Shar. The most daunting part about chronic pain is that it does have a habit of driving people to madness and Shadow is aware this. Shar would gladly enjoy watching all the Hallowleaf's eventually go mad in the end. And it's not as if Selune is really doing anything to help either. She cannot rely on the gods to help her, and to become a god is to free herself from a gods curse, or at least give her a fighting chance to get rid of it. Forming a new church and becoming a new god will only strengthen her, give her enough power to loosen whatever grip Shar still has on her. But this Shadowheart is directly attached to Shar and would have no problem using it. If Shadowheart cannot get rid of the curse herself, then perhaps she can give Shar incentive to let her go.

Conclusion

Shadowheart actually should have gotten two different evil endings similar to Durge and a Moon Shadow should have had slight variations depending on the state of her parents. Shadowheart's personality, motivations, desires, and goals are all dictated depending on how dedicated she is to these gods and the endings should reflect that. The ending that we did get I feel is the most fitting for Moon Shadow who did sacrifice her parents because she did everything she was supposed to do, and yet she still suffers and she is still alone. This version of Shadow I can see becoming enraged and vengeful against Shar and Selune and wanting to bite back.

Don't get me wrong, I like this ending. But it also demonstrates one of my biggest gripes with how BG3 depicts evil and it seems like evil cannot exist in this game without it being comical. It cannot exist without it being in your face that it is evil, otherwise people might "miss it". Sadly, this means that characters are forced out of character to shoehorn them into evilness as there is often very little narrative explanation or build up as to why that character would choose the evil option. Sure, I think if you stretch it enough you could argue that the ending you get for Shadowheart is fitting regardless of whichever path. I mean, this is an RPG and we all come up with our own reasons as to why certain choices and outcomes make more sense over others (hells, I just did that in this post!).

Either way, I am glad that we did get these new endings. Even if I feel that some of them are OOC, I still appreciate them and I am grateful for the free treat Larian did give us.

[tikvin]

While y'all waiting on your sketches and Eshra's "in game" dialogues lemme talk about Vice for a sec, because I love them with my whole being and unhealthily obsessed.

BG3 SPOILERS AHEAD

VICE (he/they/it)

Mechanically, spore druid, flavouring him as just some disgusting necromancing swamp devil, not actually tying him to any circles or balance obsessed folk.

Vice is quite emotionless and blunt, some would say even cruel. "When you out of my sight — you don't exist" type of person. So far, the only durge who flat out made conscious decision to kill Karlach, as he couldn't care less that she's just a tiefling, if that what Wyll's mission is, then he better do it and quit whining (tbf if Vice met Karlach first then Wyll would be the one dying, I just forgot that was a possibility lol.) Vice just doesn't care much for negotiations in these confrontations. They have a passive attitude when it comes to confrontations with his companions, he's more amused than anything, when he's being threatened, suddenly feeling strangely confident and patronizing, as if intentionally provoking to bigger conflict. It probably would get better in act 3, but right now he's quite an asshole.

I wouldn't say he isn't capable of understanding emotions and moral dilemmas, but he's driven mostly by his own whims and wants. He recognizes when he killed without any good reason, but he doesn't necessarily feel bad about his kills. He might do or not do something just because he feels like it, even if he knows it might hurt someone, he doesn't care, unless it's someone deeply close to him or someone he is very curious about, which is hard to achieve.

He haven't got there yet with him, but considering how his relationships with Shadowheart look rn — she's in quite dangerous area with the whole nightsong deal, as Vice couldn't give two shits about her (or anyone else's) secrets and just doesn't ask companions about their lives until they speak about it themselves. So Shadowheart haven't got a chance to tell him anything about her worship or herself. That makes her distant to him, which makes him not give much of a shit, considering nightsong is not only the key for Thorm's immortality but also a potential strong ally. The attempt to kill Lae'Zel also doesn't do Shadowheart any favours in Vice's eyes, as he enjoys company of those who are more straightforward like Lae'Zel, because if you want something from him — you better tell as it is, and not dance around the subject. That is why he's most close to Minthara and Lae'Zel, while being more prickly to Gale, Shadowheart and Jaheira.

Vice is yet another durge who doesn't care much about their lust for blood, nor concerned by their own actions. The only thing he strongly doesn't like about it is losing control, but he is curious about his past.

Concept of romantic relationship is a bit alien to him, as is any sexual relationships. Yet again, it's not like he's not capable, considering how it is with Bhaal, I'd say Vice probably was a huge horndog before amnesia, but after the incident he just didn't give much of a thought to it, since there are bigger problems at hand. His level of understanding the romance will actually depend on if he kills Isobel or not. If Vice won't do it, and my favourite durge camp scene happens — Vice will be kinda pushed to think about it for a moment, when Skeletaris make comments on whatever companion that will be. That would make him dig deeper into his everyday time with that companion and consider what his feelings are and does he even have them.

If Vice kills Isobel and gets power — he gets more emotionless and aloof, mindless killing will be much easier, just like it would be easier to betray close friends for power or just for his own fun. (And the latter even Minthara won't approve of, considering her opinion on killing without purpose).

Would've probably went with the whole Bhaal biz if it wasn't for losing control over his body (After Karessa, he unconsciously grown to absolutely despise any sort of helplessness and lack of control over his own body). So he most likely will be the most questionable "redeemed" dark urge.

[ladyofrosefire]

I’m trying to figure out what the hell the deal is with Bg3 and kink, and I think that, while it is much less precious about sex and sexuality than a lot of things are, it does fall into some of the same traps in a way that… well, it irks me. Disclaimer that while I did do some poking around, there are some romance scenes I have not seen. I’ll run through the ones I know about for those of you who haven’t picked up a brain bug about this. 

Wyll gets nothing. This is a separate post that other people have made better than I have. 

Shadowheart’s romance scene in Act 3 runs one of two ways— either you go for a swim with her, she gets poked by a rock, and you pause while she gets rid of the offending object, or you do the Nightfall Feast, where you get pushed to the ground, she tells you to stop being so gentle, and the whole thing is framed as an “act of wickedness” in parallel to you having just dumped the Nightsong’s blood on a statue of Selune. You have literal blood on your hands during this scene. 

Karlach pegs you in Act 3. I, personally, do not count this as being particularly kinky. The whole concept of measuring kink is a little silly, in my humble opinion, but it seems strange to say penetration gets kinkier when it’s not a flesh-and-blood penis. (If you have sex with her in Act 2, it is kinkless.)

Gale’s got his whole astral projection thing going, which brings us solidly into kink territory. Tav mostly hangs out. We’ll circle back to this. There is also a non-illusory version, but it is exclusively fade-to-black. 

Astarion does a whole seduction act in Act 1, which leads to a short and honestly quite tame (although fun!) scene. Act 3, you either get the spawn ending where you have sex on his grave (he pushes you down, and it is later flagged as ‘had sex as equals’), or you get the ascension and the whole “on your knees” bit. 

Lae’zel very explicitly talks in terms of obedience and dominance and submission, and you can tell her to submit to you. We will also circle back to this scene. In act 2, you beat the crap out of each other, and either you get the option to say, “you are mine,” or you lose, and you get, “I am yours” after she also says she doesn’t want to hurt you.

Halsin has the bear scene. Or he tries very hard not to turn into a bear. Tav is once again mostly hanging out. There was a dev note at one point saying Tav was meant to hold onto his head while he went down on them, but that does not happen in this scene. 

Minthara shows Tav exactly where to put their hands and mouth. Repeatedly. At length. There is no option to take control of the scene. 

A pattern emerges from these scenes fairly quickly: if Tav is active, they are either actively submitting (i.e., the Minthara scene) or engaging without power exchange (Shadowheart, Karlach, Astarion’s act 1 and spawn scenes). Gale’s scene is a special case since he’s controlling the illusion, but Larian could have decided Tav was allowed to imagine themself with a few extra limbs. They probably chose not to do this to spare the poor animators. However, with the rest of the pattern, it still makes me raise an eyebrow. The Halsin scene, to me, is especially egregious as you do precisely fuck-all. At multiple times, you get very clear camera angles of Tav’s completely relaxed hands that give the distinct impression that Tav is in full pillow princess mode. 

You will also note kink and morality seem to have an… interesting relationship. Explicit powerplay occurs with Lae’zel in Act 1 (she is still solidly in the mindset inspired by Vlaakith and is arguably evil-aligned at this point), Minthara (you get this scene by slaughtering the grove), and Ascended Astarion (you just killed 7,000 people and he thinks you’re, and I quote, “degrading yourself”). You also get a hint of this in the contrast between Shadowheart’s Selunite Swim and the Nightfall Feast. This feels related to why when you try to flip the script on Lae’zel, you use an intimidation check rather than persuasion or performance. This could be explained by saying that Larian has decided that orders are best represented by intimidation, even in a romantic context, but most of the intimidation checks we get are open threats, often of physical violence. I’m not entirely sure how much Lae’zel drops her powerplay as she becomes a kinder person. I’d love to hear from people who have done more of her romance than I have. 

Abdirak is a torturer serving an evil goddess. He gets the player’s consent and is reasonably sweet to them if they obtain his goddess’s blessing. There are even two seconds of aftercare! His actual purpose, however, is to torture the man next door, and the two companions who cheer him on are Astarion and Shadowheart, both of whom are having some struggles with morality at this point in the game. 

And then there’s the Drow twins— and specifically Sorn. If someone other than Tav approaches him, he says you need a “rear of cast-iron” to take what he dishes out. His ambient dialogue talks about scaring off clients who were paying him to apply a clamping device to something delicate. But if you see him alone, your options are roleplay, sensation play, or size kink. I did say I wouldn’t try to measure kink, but it feels like false advertising. (You can wrestle him in the Drizzt Do’urden roleplay scenario. It is an ability check. This raises questions for me about how this was negotiated, but it’s not a deal breaker.) Where’s the sadism promised in his ambient dialogue? Some characters just aren’t subs, that’s fine, but this is about patterns, not individual characters. 

I should pause here to say that the only thing in the above with which I have an actual issue on an individual level is Tav being so limp in the Halsin scene. It would be nice if Tav touched back in a way more significant than holding onto his arms a bit and laying a limp hand on his thigh if he stays elf shaped. This is not a moral complaint— it’s aesthetic. Frankly, none of this is saying Larian has done anything immoral.

However. I’m a little frustrated, as someone who does not have a submissive bone in my body, that all but one romance scene in this game is designed for a submissive Tav or a Tav who does not want powerplay. It’s not uncommon to find people who are okay with impact play if you don’t want to hit, CNC if you don’t want to be the faux-aggressor, ageplay or petplay if you don’t want to be the adult/owner. This is not a kink-positive stance or even kink-neutral. I should also note here that I do not judge any of the characters mentioned, not even Abdirak, for their interest in consensual kink. If I judge them, it’s for unrelated reasons. Or reasons that should be unrelated but often don’t feel like it, as it seems like Larian has set them up to be interested in powerplay and sadism because of their less-than-decent moral leanings. Abdirak wants to whip Tav because he’s a follower of the Lady of Pain. Ascended Astarion isn’t playing when he tells Tav he wants to own them, body, mind, and soul, and there’s no safewording out of every other interaction after that. Shadowheart tells you to stop being gentle because she has become a Dark Justiciar. Lae’zel stops wanting to hurt Tav— and you consent to the fight— because she’s learning about care and softness. I don’t think she stops being kinky, but there are patterns, and patterns that extend beyond the boundaries of the game. 

Frankly, I’m not sure what sort of conclusion I’m aiming for here. There are patterns in Larian’s approach to sex, power, and pain that indicate some very familiar hangups. It would be nice if there were more room for a dominant Tav, not even with every character, but with a few of them. Some people don’t sub. Some characters don’t sub. It makes sense. But I’ll be rotating this further. And writing fic. To anyone else who likes writing a dominant Tav: hi! Keep doing what you’re doing!

I wouldn’t be posting this if I didn’t want to hear other people’s thoughts, but quick disclaimer: I will block anyone who comes onto this post to talk about how great the vampire ascendant is. It’s not personal. I simply would blacklist anything to do with that if I could, and the way the tag’s been going, I can’t. You saw the tags on this, and you clicked anyway. Similarly, if you’re going to throw a shitfit about how no one should like whipping a consenting partner, don’t waste your breath. You get the picture. 

[blackjackkent]

All right. Having talked Florrick down from killing us in the street, Rakha is free to resume what she ACTUALLY was trying to do, which is come to stare wonderingly at the mages doing demonstrations outside of Sorcerous Sundries.

(A/N: Hilariously, while I was getting this screenshot, one of them shot Rakha with a firebolt. Part of the 'show' involves the mages summoning (I sincerely hope illusory) cats and then shooting them with fire, and Rakha's position here is in direct line with one of the cat summon locations. XD She'd lost 7hp by the time I finished writing this opening section and moved her.)

It's a beautiful display, at least from Rakha's perspective. The Weave is going absolutely wild in the whole vicinity of this enormous building, gorgeous prismatic rainbows shifting and changing, and stirred repeatedly by the small spells being cast by these mages. It is, perhaps, the strongest concentration of magical energy she's been able to witness in one place, besides the elder brain itself, and she is utterly captivated by it.

Minthara, presumably, loses patience with this pretty quickly, but Jaheira finds it amusing; perhaps she has recollections of some of her magically-inclined adoptees (or even some of the young mage Harpers) being similarly entranced by Sundries and its environs. And Wyll, of course, would be happy to stand there all day just to watch the small curve of a smile tugging at the corners of Rakha's mouth.

Nothing good can last, though, and this particular thing is interrupted by a familiar, and unwelcome, voice breaking through the hubbub, the sound of a man shouting by the entrance to the shop.

Rakha knows that voice, and the muted smile vanishes from her face as she turns to face its source.

"Let me back in, or bring Lorroakan out here, you tin tube!" the man bellows at the enchanted armor guarding the shop's door. "You tell Lorroakan I went for his godsdamned Nightsong, and now he has to pay up!"

It's Aradin, one of the mercenaries from the Grove, the ones who almost got Halsin killed. The ones, Rakha now remembers, who were searching for the Nightsong - only they thought it was a relic, rather than the aasimar, Aylin, that it turned out to be.

(A/N: Lowkey I really should have had Rakha talk more to Aylin before now, and tbh she kind of slipped my mind amidst the 3541234132 other things Rakha has had going on. So I'm kind of glad to be hitting this quest, since hopefully it will give room for Rakha and Aylin to talk a bit more.)

Aylin and Isobel have remained with their camp ever since the shadowlands, but Rakha has taken deliberate pains to steer clear of them. She rarely enters the side of the camp where they sleep and has not talked to them since they entered the city. It's far too dangerous, under the circumstances - the beast still resents that they live and growls viciously in Rakha's head every time their faces come to mind.

Nevertheless, they are part of the camp, part of Rakha's shaky little tribe, and Aradin, who is clearly still hunting for Aylin without knowing what he seeks, is therefore a threat - besides already being an asshole. Rakha clenches her fists at her side. She knocked him out the first time she met him, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't eager for a reason to do so again.

Aradin, it seems, feels similarly. "What're you looking at?" he snaps, rounding on her as she draws near - and then his eyes widen with recognition, followed by an immediate narrowing with dislike.

"Shit," he mutters coolly. "It's you." His jaw sets and he leans closer, directly into Rakha's personal space. "You went looking for the Nightsong after me," he says. "Please tell me you found it."

Rakha ignores the question for the moment, peering past Aradin at the enchanted armor behind him. Another flicker of annoyance bubbles up in her - this time at the fact that she has to interact with this man again rather than investigate that magic. "Who are you trying to get at inside?"

"Lorroakan," Aradin explains impatiently. "The wizard who set out the contract. He owns the place. And his little pageboy inside knows how to get to him." His lip curls angrily. "Lorroakan said it'd be easy money, a smash and grab. Get in, get the Nightsong, go. Turns out his little relic was in a temple of Shar, beneath an army of goblins."

For just a moment, his expression shifts, showing a muted sheen of regret. "Turns out his little relic was in a temple of Shar, beneath an army of goblins. Would never have taken my people in if I'd known." Then the moment of vulnerability passes, and he scowls. "I can't bring 'em back. But I can make Lorroakan cough up - especially if you found the relic!"

Rakha's face has remained utterly immobile during this little speech. There is enough of Wyll and Jaheira's influence in her now that under some circumstances, she might be tempted to a bit of sympathy for the man, hearing that brief shift in his voice. He has clearly been through the wringer in pursuit of this quest, and it seems Lorroakan, the owner of the shop, is the real force behind the threat to Aylin.

But Aradin also called her a half-breed on more or less her first day awake; he does not have a lot of credit from her for sympathy. So she is not inclined to help him one bit.

"That's none of your business," she says curtly.

His scowl deepens, creasing lines across his forehead. "Answer the question," he says, icy. "Did you find it or not?"

"I found the Nightsong," Rakha shoots back at him irritably. "It wasn't a relic. It was an aasimar." Little point in lying, as usual.

"An aasimar?" Aradin's eyebrows shoot up. "Hells." But he seems neither dissuaded nor intimidated, just more irritated. "If I'd known, I'd have asked for more gold. Kidnapping costs more than theft." His weight shifts rapidly from one leg to the other and back and his eyes lock on hers, glittering eagerly. "Don't forget - I'm the one who gave you that contract. I want my cut."

Rage begins to bubble, immediate and intense, in Rakha's gut. Kidnapping costs more than theft. Her best friend is currently the victim of a kidnapping - one Aradin clearly would have participated in himself if the money was right. She will not sit here and debate the price of turning Aylin over to him. She will, in fact, wring his neck if he stays within grabbing range much longer.

[INTIMIDATION] "Piss. Off," she growls, very low and deep in her throat, taking a step forward so they are nose to nose and her greater height towers over him.

(A/N: 27 on a 15 - Rakha's intimidation bonus gives me great joy. Also deeply amused to learn from the dialogue files that Hector was denied being able to tell Aradin to piss off because he was a monk and got a more pacifist comment instead. :P )

For a moment, she thinks he's going to strike her, and she welcomes it, hungers for it-- but his fear gets the better of his anger and he recoils a few steps. "I ought to knock some sense into you," he says coldly, "but you know what? I'm too godsdamned tired."

His jaw tightens, and he turns and walks away. "If she's out there, I'm gonna find her. You mark my words."

[meanbossart]

I've been really enjoying your fic and it got me curious about how your campaign went??? I got the important parts (your Durge denied Bhaal, Shadowheart spared nightsong I think, Astarion obviously didn't ascend) but what else happened? Will we ever see any of the other companions?

Thanks for enjoying the story! I can say with pretty much certainty we won't be seeing any other canonical characters from the game, Jaheira, Minsc and Halsin would have stayed behind in Baldur's Gate, as well as Wyll. My Durge killed Lae'zel early in the game and Karlach also died at the end of my campaign.

Gale's character decided to go after the crown, and while he was the staple fourth member of my party the relationship had always been uh... Tense. This was before they apparently patched out how needy he was, but frankly it made for a really interesting story since i just kind of assumed his character was kind of a creep wearing a nice-guy's face. Also, to be fair, I DID fall for his "wanna see a magic trick" line but that just kindled the fire to my theory that he's actually a fairly manipulative person (and perhaps he's unaware of it). MIND YOU PLEASE that this doesn't mean i don't like his character - honestly i feel like I got a REALLY interesting side of him in my campaign and i wouldnt have it any other way - this was a party composed of the dark urge, Astarion, Shadowheart and GALE and to have us all turn down power and glory only for the goody-two-shoes wizard of the camp to turn kinda evil and power-hungry made for a really satisfying narrative.

... Sorry i ended up rambling about Gale LOL to actually answer the rest of your question, my campaign went like this:

I made a Fighter, champion sub-class, BIG hulking drow because i thought it would be funny. Because i went in blind I started off as a confused homicidal murderer who is a liiiittle weirded out about his urges but he doesnt stress TOO much about it. Is fairly standoffish and distrusting toward all of his companions which made for a weird start. Motivated by gold, killing things, getting this worm out his head and making off-color jokes. Ends up siding with the Tieflings because i also decided that, as a very hedonistic character who thinks we should be lunatics because we want to rather than because a cult is telling us to be, my durge would profoundly hate the absolute. As a male drow he also really hated Minthara so yeah, easy choice there. As mentioned above, I also killed Lae'zel when she tried to murder-suicide everybody.

I wasn't going to fuck anyone, believe it or not, so during the tiefling party i went with Gale because it SEEMED like he just wanted to show me something neat (it ended early because i failed his checks and i guess he can't get hard unless i can cast fireball). Also, at this point even though i made mostly "good" moral choices i *was* still a dick the whole time - despite this, everyone in camp wanted to fuck me BESIDES Astarion, which was so fucking funny and devastating that I decided my Durge would, from that moment on, turn on the charm and the flattery and make it his mission to bang him. So yes, they were manipulating each other. I don't have to explain why that made for a really really fun little dynamic. Also Astarion had to tell me he was a vampire through dialogue instead of biting me and i got to say "yeah duh" which was hysterical.

I finally banged him sometime during the underdark (didn't go to the creche at all) and during Act 2 I followed the same pattern of doing mostly the Good Thing while being arrogant the whole time, I fell into a kind of chaotic-neutral/true-neutral aligment and watched my little homicidal maniac cluelessly stumble his way into a hero's journey. I had also really grown to like Shadowheart at that point after having a really negative first impression of her character and she basically became my durge's best friend. Astarion also grew on me for all the reasons we know and love and he did his confession to me sometime in late act 2. I Never met Araj (though i think i mention her in the fan story only because her interaction is interesting) so I got the dialogue that isn't prompted by her encounter. I also had to "break up" with Gale at this point which boy that sure came as a surprise to me! I also didnt break the shadow curse.

Because I didnt kill isobel (Again, my guy didnt like people telling him what to do or not to do), my little butler guy made me wanna kill Astarion. I SWEAR this happened pretty late in game, maybe even in the first night in baldur's gate which i realize is unusual. Naturally I didnt and I decided that would be the turning point where my Durge decides to not just Go With The Flow of things but actively fight his urge and pursue its root cause. He tried to be more of a good person from that point on which was kind of a clumsy effort lol

He completely antagonized the emperor immediately upon him revealing his true identity, stole the orphic hammer from Raphael's house, betrayed Gortash after setting an "alliance" with him, killed Orin (she kidnapped the orphan and killed her in front of me because i failed the check :| ) stopped Astarion from ascending and helped Shadowheart kill everyone in the house of grief, i let her make her own choice regarding her parents and she decided to kill them. I also encouraged her to not immediately align with the Selunites just because of her past.

I got Astarion the thing that helps him read the necromancy book and i cannot tell you how satifyins it was that, after giving up unspeakable power by killing Cazador, that dude and his little ghoul army basically mauled Orin and her grandad for me practically by themselves while I was down on the floor with 1 health. PROUD OF YOU BUDDY.

Gale spoke to Mystra as well at some point and i swear I NEVER encouraged that guy to take the crown for himself. It was always either "do whatever you want" or "i think thats a shitty idea." At this point my Durge was super sick of him so they had a bit of a crappy relationship which may have something to do with how things turned out.

I betrayed the emperor, released Orpheus and when he asked if any of us wanted to be a mindflayer i went "Fuck No" big time and luckily the guy just did it for me. Chaos ensues, I kill the emperor and the absolute in an epic battle that took me like a whole day. I also killed Orpheus when he asked me to. Karlach died ( :c ) and Gale told me he was gonna fuck off to get the crown. In the final Astarion dialogue I told him we would find a way to get him to walk under the sun again.... AAAAAnd thats it i think? Man this game is huge lmao i swear i wasnt trying to be long-winded.

[freyasilverbough]

Just me headcanoning about my oc again, don’t mind me

BG3 spoilers ahead

2am rambles, screenshot because I love her

I think that Freya played a pretty heavy role in the initial assault on Moonrise Towers. She’s got a soldier background, is roughly around 250 years old, and she’s literally a Selûnite paladin. We all know that Ketheric was a Selûnite-turned-Sharran before he abandoned both goddesses for Myrkul, and other paladins don’t look too kindly on oathbreakers. In DnD, paladins are typically the ones basically leading the charge against evil forces.

Because of this, I think Freya was on the front lines, more than likely fighting Ketheric himself when Moonrise fell and the curse was unleashed. She witnessed firsthand what happened that day and could not stop it, and it’s the first time she’s ever had to flee a battlefield.

She feels some insane guilt and self hatred over it, on par with if not exceeding Halsin’s, and she puts away her Selûnite armor in favor of the armor she wore during her mercenary days because she takes the failure on herself and doesn’t believe she’s worthy of carrying her goddess’s symbols anymore, until the tadfools march on Moonrise for the second time. She doesn’t falter in her oath or her devotion per se but she’s lost faith in herself, and her oath keeps her fighting.

She keeps all of this extremely close to her chest until a certain druid is the only one to notice the telltale signs of her rising panic as they near the curse (sleeping less, taking more watch duties in camp, not eating enough, increased agitation, etc). He’s so open with her about his own guilt and struggles with the curse that it starts to crack her inner walls and eventually she tells him everything she knows about that day and it’s the first little glimmer of hope that these two strong leaders can finally lean on someone else for a change during their dark days.

After they reach Last Light she shows Dammon a sketch of her old Selûnite armor and asks if he can make a new suit since hers obviously got left behind when she was kidnapped by the mind flayers, of course we know Dammon can make anything so he gets to work and finishes just before they go to free the Nightsong.

When she puts it on her guilt melts into resolve to set everything right and Halsin sees her tear up for the first time.

Freeing the Nightsong and meeting Dame Aylin is way emotional for her and after they defeat Ketheric, she has long talks with Aylin about paladin of Selûne things.

She does not get along with Shadowheart at all but when Shadowheart starts doubting Shar they start opening up to each other and become inseparable besties after Shadowheart defies Shar.

As a paladin she insists that Halsin spend his magic healing her friends and this pisses him off because she uses nothing but the last dregs of her magic to heal herself, even if she’s practically bleeding out since she’s always taking the heaviest hits (he ignores her and heals her anyway teehee).

Basically Act 1 Freya is a prickly stubborn bitch, Act 2 her gooey center starts to show, and by Halsin’s confession in Baldur’s Gate/Act 3 she’s learned to love and feel and show her feelings again after bottling them up for so long.

I also make Orin take Halsin for the angst, Freya gets capital P Pissed and insists on a 1v1 duel with Bhaal’s Chosen to let out all that rage.

Paladins are so interesting to me, I love them, smiting is fun but the whole concept of their oaths is so much fun to explore and I’m working on a fic for it but unfortunately my stupid job is cutting into my Baldur’s Gate time :(

[optiwashere]

No sleep gang!

BTS Fic ask! Was gonna do Nightsongs, but since it's still ongoing, here's a throwback.

Like I Am Safe Again: 7, 10, 26

Oooooh, now that's a fun one! It's hard for me to tell if that fic is just unpopular with people, or if folks don't have much to say about it (tbh both are reasonable) but it's one of my favorite things I've written for the fandom lol. Thanks for asking about this one 💜

7. What inspired the idea for the plot?

Other than the fact that expanding on "memory" for Shadowheart is one of my favorite things to do, it was a couple things! I was finishing up a reread of the Realm of Elderlings series, and I've always resonated with "outsider" characters in pretty much everything I read/watch/play. People that are, through their own actions or happenstance, sidelined in their own lives is very fascinating to me. That feeling of never being able to actually reach out and interact with others in a meaningful way because of what they've done, said, or because of who they think themselves to be is creative catnip for me. My love of that series and those types of (frustrating) character moments influenced the way Shadowheart in that fic continually tries to manage everything herself without once relying on people that would immediately help her. At least, at first. Shadowheart has a lot of (mostly appearance-based tbqh) benefits other outsider-types don't get, but trying to focus on the aspects of her that disconnect her from the others at that point in the timeline (namely her early secrecy, her mid-game zealotry/hesitancy) intersected really well with my canon divergence from the first part of that series. There are clear themes of repression, self-ostracization, and insecurity within her storyline that I just love. I was also obsessed with exploring her character that way after I had the thought: "how does someone who already deals with memory issues handle dissociation?"

10. Share a screenshot of the original outline.

OK, so my outlining method for that fic was kinda unhinged. I think I had an outline at one point, but it was probably a bullet point system. At some point, I either deleted it or it was never actually written down? Either way, I know the original version was actually a long one-shot like "It Is the Wound She Gave Me" but it kept getting longer and longer. Then it became three chapters/three mornings. Then I kept adding moments to expand and expand, and eventually I just had to admit that it should probably be a short multichapter lol. Some bits I know that I changed: Chapter one used to be just the "prayer at the tree" scene, Chapter two didn't have the fireside chat/episode until I was nearly done writing the whole thing, and the Epilogue didn't exist until I realized ending on Chapter four left things a little too bleakly open for me.

26. Wild Card! I'll tell you a fun fact about this fic!

Despite being named after a Cure song, I never once listened to The Cure while writing it.

[nerdasaurus1200]

Fic Writer Asks!

1. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

4. What piece of media inspired you the most?

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

12. What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

16. What were you go-to writing songs?

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

Okay second try on this cause tumblr closed out on me in the middle of answering and didn’t save my draft 😂

1. What's something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

In hindsight I’ve actually tried a lot of new things in the last year. I delved into Lance’s perspective, I’ve been writing for my TOWL characters more and fleshing out their backstories before they moved to Walpole Lane, I wrote more New Dream content. And also writing the synopses for all the books they mentioned throughout Tangled. All of it was so much fun and I really hope I get to do it more. Especially writing for Lance more cause my boy deserves more love.

3. What's something you learned about yourself as a writer?

One of the biggest things I learned in 2023 for myself was how to balance my planning. I’ve learned that as long as I have the meat/core events of the story written down, it’s a big help in making sure I actually finish the fic cause then I know exactly where the plot is going and where to end it.

4. What piece of media inspired you the most?

I think I’d have to say Tangled, since that’s most of what I wrote in 2023.

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

Is it cheating if I say all of them? 😂

12. What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

Hmm….I think I’d have to say The Sundrop Pamphlet, cause I really wanted it to feel like it was Cassandra speaking and not me. Cause the whole thing is supposed to read like a news article from her lips to the Newsies’ printing press. Luckily I did finish it but sometimes I’m concerned that it may read as Cass kinda trauma-dumping on kids if you know the context of it. Like, I’m worried that “Cassandra” (aka, me) didn’t desensitize it enough for the kids she was telling it to.

16. What were you go-to writing songs?

Oooh this is a good one cause I tend to use music for inspiration a LOT when I write. No songs have really been my go-to for Days of the Animals but that may change someday. For “The Sundrop Pamphlet” I mostly listened to Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift and Waiting in the Wings. “Forbidden Love”, naturally I listened to I See the Light a lot 😂. Part one of my Lost Lagoon fic (Save What Has Been Lost) was largely inspired by the “Way of Water” track from Avatar 2 and a little bit of Pure Imagination by Kathleen. “Raise What Lies Beneath”; I listned to the Nightsong from Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Crystal Cavern track from Atlantis.

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Oh hands down, posting my Lost Lagoon fic. I’ve had that half baked in my head roughly since the show ended so it felt so satisfying to finally get it written and out there into the world.

30. What's something that you want to write in 2024?

Oh I have a whole bucket list of things I wanna write/plan to write in 2024:

A Percabeth fic where they watch How to Train Your Dragon

A potential Hazbin fic

More TOWL prequels; mostly featuring Carmilla for now

Chapter 2 of Gwen Grounds Rapunzel

The next chapter of Days of the Animals, in which Varian will adopt Prometheus

Something with Hazel and Primrose

Still working on the plot for it beyond the idea, but it’d be hilarious to do a fic about the gang finding out that Cass glows in the dark

Maybe something with New Dream and Rapunzel hiring Sophie and Dahlia

Definitely something with Poly and/or Ginny, because I must give my daughters more love.

[superhaught]

The post I just reblogged made me think more about how my two Tavs think about Shadowheart’s faith and so I wanted to write a little thing.

Walker, with all due respect, is dumb in terms of bookish things. Coming into BG3 he knows absolutely nothing about Shar, Shar followers or the strife between Shar and Selune. The only frame of reference he has is that one time he heard that Shar followers are scary and evil.

So this means that he takes Shadowheart at her word on everything. He implicitly believes her from day 1 when she talks about her beliefs and he does not notice the discrepancy between her attitude and Sharran tenants. The only thing that makes him go “huh” is when she talks about the perfect eternal darkness but he just kind of goes, “okay maybe we can work on the nihilism thing.”

At some point after this, Walker breaks his paladin oath. I’m still trying to reconcile when/how/why he breaks his oath because the canon event that broke his oath is stupid to me but that’s another post.

It’s not until act 2 when Walker starts seeing what actual Shar shit outside of Shadowheart looks like that he goes “wait a minute.”

My boy interacts with Malus Thorm and gets really testy about it. He convinces the fucker to off himself and then marches straight over to Shadowheart and goes “this is your shit?!” And she’s like “Well…”

Then he actually starts reading the books he’s picked up along the way and starts talking with Shadowheart about it more and more (much to her irritation) and works on gently poking holes in her logic. Not necessarily with the intention of turning her away from Shar because he still very much wants to support her dreams but he does go “okay but do you see how what you’re saying and what Shar says about that are different?” And then her wound flares up and he goes “See?!” And she scowls at him and walks away to brood.

(At some point in the middle of this Withers is like “you have a bosom-companion” and on the outside Walker is like “it’s not about the flesh it’s about companionship” but on the inside he’s like “GOD IF ONLY IT WERE THAT SIMPLE SKELETON”)

Perhaps in not his proudest moment he refers to her wound as a “shock collar” and they get into quite the fight and this is right before or during the gauntlet stuff so there’s a lot of angst between them that whole time. But at this point he knows that she has doubts and he knows that the things she says and does are NOT Sharran so, he trusts her to make the right choice when it comes down to it.

Walker has been in love with her since the beginning but when she makes that speech after the Nightsong stuff it finally becomes really real and then there’s no separating them.

If I was playing at a table I would respec him into oath of devotion at this point where his devotion is TO SHADOWHEART but I’m not gonna do that in BG3.

Atlas on the other hand, is very smart about all things religion in Faerun and he sees through Shadowheart RIGHT AWAY.

In my mind, the brain damage induced amnesia mostly affects Atlas’ memories about himself and not necessarily his knowledge about the world. He wakes up on the Nautiloid and is like “okay interesting I’m a cleric and I’m wearing a necklace with the symbol of Selune on it, obviously I’m a Selunite, perfect, I know what that is.”

Then he meets Shadowheart and is like “you may look like a Sharran but there is no fucking way that you’re actually a Sharran because you are literally a walking beam of moonlight.”

Atlas knows as soon as Shadowheart reveals her memory to him that she was most likely a Selunite child who was stolen by Sharrans but instead of breaking her mind with that information in the Goblin Camp he also just starts to confront her logic over time.

When Atlas kills Alfira he has a breakdown and BEGS Shadowheart to kill him. She obviously says “no” and then after he calms down more he takes the opportunity to be a little shit for two seconds and points out how her Sharran ass could’ve killed a Selunite and didn’t, and how a Selunite has decided to trust this so called Sharran, and she’s like “hey why don’t you shut the fuck up.”

So anyways their act 2 is less relationship angst and more internal crises that only serve to bring them closer together. Shadowheart is just going “shit fuck shit fuck shit fuck” the entirety of act 2 and Atlas is going “I AM NOT GOING TO KILL ISOBEL YOU LITTLE SCROTUM”

Atlas and Shadowheart start to see each other as their way out of their respective traps.

And THEN the aforementioned scrotum tells atlas that “every man kills the thing he loves” and atlas’ worst fear (harming shadowheart) starts to become a reality and he is very much considering falling on his sword (even though he knows by now that he maybe can’t die as the evidence of his many fatalities are literally written all over his body) but then she takes CARE of him and HOLDS him while he sobs and from that moment on they are entirely devoted to each other.

Anyways this was fun I love my Tavs they are my baby boys.

Thank god for BG3 giving me the ability to lose my mind over my OCs since I’m the forever DM in my life.

[idontunderstandwhydoyouneedmyurl]

Its late and I can't sleep so have some fun facts about my tav

Her name is Katrice Taventridus Elwoyzorwyn (el-wuh-zor-win), she's a half wood elf wizard (nobility background) and as of the events of bg3 she's 55 years old. Her magical ability strength lies in elemental magic, namely fire ice and lightning. Her alignment is neutral good because she believes more in doing what is right rather than what is lawful, but only if she won't get caught

She grew up in Baldur's Gate in a very affluent family, she went to a magical academy and graduated at the top of her class in an effort to impress her parents (spoiler: it didn't work)

After Katrice graduated she tried to join her father's magical item importation business. He told her that not only did he not want her to join, but that if she did it would tarnish the reputation as an elven business because she was actually half human and an affair child

She decided (to prove to her dad herself that she could in fact do whatever she put her mind to, surprise biracial affair child or no, so she got herself a basic adventuring pack and set off for adventure. She then got zapped up by the nauteloid ship literally before she made it out of the main city gate

She's part of a playthru that I did multi-player with my wife who played a tiefling ranger (criminal background) named Valmaia, and we consider that our "canon" run. Katrice and Val butted heads a lot at the beginning but by the end of the game are good friends

She's 5'6", weighs about a hundred pounds soaking wet, and the only reason her STR is 10 is because I refuse to go lower on any stat at all ever

Katrice hoards scrolls and potions because "you never know!!" But because her potion bag gets heavy, she pawns it off on Astarion to carry.

She doesn't trust the dream visitor (who looks like her birth mom) and refuses to eat more tadpoles or to use the illithid power at all. Valmaia meanwhile is eating the tadpoles like candy. Modern day pickle giver vs pickle eater tbh

Katrice and Wyll end up falling in love over the course of the game, because they ran in similar social circles growing up. Because Katrice is twice Wyll's age, they never actually met, but they likely would've been childhood friends.

In my personal solo playthru with Katrice, I had her romance Astarion in a "I can fix him but maybe he'll corrupt me a little" kind of way, a "on my gods my parents would be SO disappointed in me for bringing home such a charlatan. Isnt that exciting" rebellion kind of way. (I'm now romancing him with my dark urge which is a whole other flavor of emotionally delicious)

Im playing with the idea of her birth mom (who went missing shortly after Katrice was born) having been one of Cazador's victims just for a little extra gut punch

She had to talk down shadowheart from killing the nightsong, astarion from committing mass murder so he can suntan, gale from trying to become a God, like that one meme of a guy struggling and tangled with three babies on leashes

After the events of bg3 Katrice is well funded as both a professional adventurer and recognized as a hero of the city, so she's able to buy a controlling interest in her father's company.

She also buys Cazador's mansion (since he's not using it anymore) and turns it into a tavern/inn that employs several of the vampire spawn that Astarion freed. They work and in exchange are given room and board and a safe blood supply from local butchers and donors. Astarion refuses to stay there but thinks the idea is hilarious.

Wyll, Valmaia, and Karlach went to Avernus to live in the House of Hope while they look more into a cure for Karlach. Katrice doesn't enjoy the long distance relationship thing but once she and Rolan set up a portal to the House of Hope from the top of Ramazith’s tower, its a little easier to go back and forth.

My wife and I are playing a 2 person DND style game where we're continuing this thread and are doing an Icewind Dale based story together, just rolling dice for how the plot goes. I'm insanely excited to keep going (and if anyone asks me about it ill just straight up share my campaign notes i love it)

[margridarnauds]

hey! if you are still looking for some distraction - what are some of your favourite albums that you've been listening to recently, and why? (i am currently enjoying my first full listen-through of joanna newsom's 'divers', which is immensely lyrically interesting and very... textural? much to like!)

Thanks, I'll check it out!

I'm not someone who usually listens to whole albums -- I often focus on individual songs for months.

That being said, since 3 of my "on repeat" songs from Spotify at the moment are from "Speak Now - Taylor's Version", I think it definitely qualifies as a current favorite. I don't know, I didn't really appreciate this album at the time, not the least because I had a very gradual introduction where I was interested in a couple of songs in her early days (Teardrops on my Guitar, which was a Quintessenial OC Angst Song; Our Song, which was perfect for Rural Midwestern Roadtrip Feelings; Love Story, which was the pinnacle of romance to me; You Belong With Me, ditto), was interested in "Mine" from Speak Now for the same reason as "Our Song", but I wasn't really INTO her stuff until 1989, with "Blank Space", where I started to be like "Okay, I get it now." (And even still, I mainly get info secondhand from friends.) I know that these days, she's probably the most famous pop star working at the moment, and definitely among her own age range (it's hard to put her alongside someone like Beyonce or Madonna, just because they've had DECADES to mold themselves into icons, but she easily trumps everyone from her own age group), but there really was so much misogyny around her at the time that I wasn't able to fully appreciate her until around 1989, when people (especially on here) started to be more critical about the narratives around her + point out how generous she could be with her fans. (Is that part of her own manufactured image? Almost definitely, but there are worse things to manufacture.)

...all this to say that I never really HAD an OG!Speak Now phase, even if I did grow to adore "Enchanted" as well, so I've been rediscovering it in a way.

I've been listening to "United in Distaste" from Starry: The Musical on repeat, mainly because when a friend of mine recommended the titular song, I thought "Pretty" and then did nothing, but there's something about famous painters bitching at one another while admitting that they need one another that happens to relate directly to the reasons why I needed a distraction re: grad school that appeals to me significantly more. Moral of the story: Spare the ballads; send me the bitchiest songs from a musical if you want me to get interested in it.

The Baldur's Gate III soundtrack, especially "Raphael's Final Act" and "I Want to Live - Classical Version", but with honorable mention to "Nightsong", "Down by the River", "Main Theme, Pt. 3", "Weeping Dawn", "Harpy Theme", and all the different versions of "The Power." Not helped by me playing BG3 whenever I can take the time off from studying.

I've been OBSESSED with Epic: The Musical lately, though it's unfortunately mainly songs that haven't gotten official releases yet. "Warrior of the Mind" (officially released), "My Goodbye" (officially released), "Dangerous", "God Games - Aphrodite and Ares", and "The Challenge". I'm really excited for where this musical is going, I have a lot of high hopes for it, and I do like how they've adapted the story, honestly.

[automatanura]

Theming & Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 definitely feels like one of those once in a (console) generation games that creates new heights for the medium, like Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins, and the original Baldur's Gates before it. I loved it, I'm on my second and a half playthrough, but in loving it I need to give my full opinion on the game's story, especially the ending.

Warning: Massive Spoilers Below. Everything is Fair Game.

As a work, Baldur's Gate 3 feels conflicted in its theming, especially the farther you get into Act 3. This is understandable, as Larian tries to connect three mostly unrelated concepts in Faerûn (the illithid / githyanki conflict, the Dead Three, and the Nine Hells) into a unified whole, sprinkling other bits of Realmslore in to bridge the thematic gaps. In a lot of ways, it works. The Steel Watchers as a product of Gortash's dealings with the Hells, for instance, is inspired, and taps into tropes of hellfire, industry, and fiendish invention, which are then tied to the necromancy and brainomancy of the other parts of the cult of the Absolute.

However, other parts feel disjointed, such as the role of Bhaal. While it makes sense as a continuation of the previous games, and within the context of the Dark Urge, the player doesn't really see a way in which the Bhaalists benefit the plan, especially since they don't show up until the conspiracy starts to fall apart in Act III. The presence of the Zhentarim in Act I lays the thematic groundwork for Bane, as the undead in Act II do for Myrkul, but anything linked to Bhaal is conspicuously absent (again, unless you're the Urge)

The biggest thing which struck to me is the tone of the "good" ending, which mismatches everything else before. I'm already not a fan of "end of the world/universe" conflicts, and prefer things much more localized, but even as you save the world and everyone cheers, what's sorely missing is the acknowledgment of loss and sacrifice present throughout the rest of the narrative. If there's one question I think the story asks, it's "How far are you willing to go to be free?"

We see this conflict in pretty much all the Origin characters, even before the slavery implied by the tadpoling. Lae'zel has to contend with Vlaakith's tyranny, losing her place in her society if she doesn't submit. Wyll is stuck in a fiendish contract, Astarion and Karlach were soldiers/toys in the grasps of their respective masters, Shadowheart is tied so tightly to Shar that she's lost most of herself, and Gale is eventually charged to end his life in the service of Mystra. The Dark Urge, for their part, is bound by both blood and psyche to their father.

And then we have the tadpole, for which the game lets you go to tremendous lengths to rid yourself, with no success.

While everyone cheered, I had:

Inserted multiple alien parasites into my brain to gain the power to survive

Read a book of forbidden knowledge which fundamentally changed me

Made a deal with hag

Killed the Nightsong (because the game doesn't really let you know that keeping her alive still ends Ketheric's immortality)

Doomed everyone at Last Light (including a hero of Baldur's Gate)

Let my lover kill her parents to avoid angering a goddess

Attempt a prison break, which left half the prisoners dead

Advised Astarion to kill thousands of people (including children) in order to avoid the even worse disaster of their liberty

Sold my body to a fiend to gain the means to my own freedom

Allowed my friend to lose her body and soul in order to defeat our enemy

And probably other things I forgot (not to mention the ways loss, sacrifice, and freedom play out among the non-party NPCs)

And so if you take the non-evil ending, the narrative feels…oblivious, to say the least, of the costs, which I expect are still there, even in an ultra-good run (which mine was not).

The game has plenty, plenty going for it (the encounters are interesting, the characters are generally well-written and expressive, and the game lets you interact with it in so many ways. I think it's because of this, that some of the disjunctions in narrative and theming feel so apparent.

[thessalian]

Faerun!Alisaie vs Lorroakan

Aylin: Ah! Come and tell us the glorious tales of your recent deeds! You have anger-face!

Alisaie: It's been kind of anger-time, honestly. I mean, at least we sorted out the mess with the newspaper people and that bounty-posting wizard asshole--

Aylin: Which 'bounty-posting wizard asshole'?

Alisaie: Oh. Right. With the whole hag thing, I kind of forgot to mention - there's this wizard asshole called Lorroakan who hired a bounty hunter we met waaaaaaaaaay back in the Emerald Grove to find him the Nightsong because the wizard asshole's another one who apparently wants to live forever--

Aylin: ...wut.

Alisaie: I know, right? I'm pretty sure you'd get bored after a few hundred years. Anyway, point is, I scared the bounty guy away and told Lorroakan you flew away to fuck-knows-where. Or died. I don't remember which. Anyway, sorted.

Aylin: ...Right. I am going to STOMP HIM.

Alisaie: But ... Aylin, I get it, I do, but he thinks you're well out of his reach now and we have--

Aylin: Since Ketherick Thorm's example wasn't enough, I will show exactly what happens to people who want to cage me.

Isobel: I kind of want to go too, honestly...

Alisaie: Okay, but--

Aylin: Well, I'm going now; meet you there.

Alisaie: But we just finished fighting Sharran cultists and--

Aylin: *flies off*

Alisaie: *siiiiiigh* Well, so much for a long rest to get our magic recharged. Team Dangerous Company, assemble...

And, over in Sorcerous Sundries

Gale: I wonder if we're actually going to have to rob the place after we kill Lorroakan...

Alisaie: I think it's better making Astarion look like a bit of an idiot stealthing when he doesn't have to than to just blatantly walk in and waste my verbal get-out-of-jail-free card. ...I mean, there's a massive hole in the jail now so at least breaking out would be easy...

Aylin: LORROAKAN YOU LITTLE SHIT!

Rolan: Wait. The Nightsong he's been burbling about for years is a person?

Lorroakan: Yep; now get the shackles I set up!

Rolan: How about ... no.

Alisaie: ...wut.

Rolan: Look, Lorroakan, you're a shit wizard and a worse mentor and you've encouraged me to be nothing but shitty to everybody and these people have saved my life and the lives of my friends and if they're going to stomp you into a smear on your carpet, I am going to help.

Gale: ...Well. That happened. At least another wizard on side will be a vaulable ally in the fight to come.

Alisaie: HE HAS LIKE FIVE HIT POINTS.

Rolan: Forty, in point of fact, but...

Lorroakan: MEPHITS! TO ME!

Alisaie: ...Well, at least it's just mephits...

Lorroakan: *summons what looks more like full-on elementals instead*

Alisaie: ...Dude, your definition of 'mephits' and the ones I saw in the hag-swamp are two very different things!

Stabnation: *ensues*

Elementals: *wreck everyone's shit up, including Aylin's*

Lorroakan: Try not to actually kill my key to immortality, if you don't mind...

Alisaie: ...Fuck it. It worked for the hag. *Mobile Flourish - Ranged*

Lorroakan: *is yeeted off a balcony and dies*

Rolan; Elementals: .....................

Gale: You get used to it.

Elementals: *go on attacking anyway*

Wyll: Don't these things get ... I don't know, un-summoned when the person who summoned them dies?!?

Gale: Not particularly!

Rolan: If you must know, if the one who summoned an elemental dies, the elemental is free to do what they want - either to go back to their elemental plane or ... 'wreck shit up' where they are. And we've been stabbing them for the last ten minutes!

Alisaie: ...Wait. If they go back to their elemental plane ... they stay there?

Rolan: Generally. Why?

Alisaie: *puts swords away*

Wyll: Wait what are you doing?!?

Alisaie: *pulls scroll*

Gale: Oh. Ooooh...

Alisaie: *casts Banishment*

Shadowheart: ...Oh. Right. I can actually do that. *also casts Banishment*

Alisaie: I really need to remember I have magic. Just ... shiny rapier.

Rolan: Well. I mean, if you don't want this place, I guess it's my tower now. But I'm going to be a way better wizard than that asshole.

Gale: Are you going to let us rummage the archives to find Important Book?

Rolan: I might, but that freak in the book section will take some convincing and it's going to take weeks for the sentries to be recoded and...

Alisaie: I get it, it's cool, put your house in order first. We'll be discreet.

Gale: We are looking for information to save the world and we're having to be discreet because--

Alisaie: Because a traumatised and abused man is taking the eminently reasonable time required to heal before he recodes all the staff here to give us a "get out of everything free" card. We have Astarion. I can talk around the sentries. We will be discreet.

Shadowheart: You just want to give Astarion the promised heist, don't you?

Alisaie: He's still bummed about missing the printing press infiltration. He's owed. ...Aylin? You okay?

Aylin: Meh. That wasn't as satisfying as I thought it was going to be. Give me a minute and then we'll go.

On the way back to Elfsong Tavern to clean up a bit

Wyll: I suppose a warrior like her will get a little flat when she takes that much beating in a fight...

Alisaie: ...Noooooooo ... this is going to be a Thing later. So we're going to decide whether we're hitting the anti-refugee assholes in the fireworks shop now, or going straight back to Sorcery Central for the heist while Rolan's getting constructs to clean up the bloodstains.

Gale: You know my vote. Books. Always the books.

Alisaie: Also maybe find a way to tell Rolan that maybe 'Sorcerous' is a bit of an appropriative name for a shop?

Shadowheart: ...How 'appropriative'?

Alisaie: Sorcerers are born magical. Wizards strive to be magical. And warlocks have magic thrust upon them.

Gale: You know the original of that one was a sex joke, right?

Alisaie: Am I not a bard? It's not against Wyll; I just like the idea of Mizora being so hard up that she's effectively willing to trade massive magical power for a quick blowjob behind the privies.

Wyll: .....................*hysterical laughter*

Alisaie: There we go. Better laughing in her face than being glum in her general direction. Mostly because I probably shouldn't have the Ravengard heir involved in heists and I need to bring Astarion anyway. *kicks open the door to their rooms* Hey Astariooooon... Want to rob a wizard?

Astarion: You read my mind. What else is on the docket after that?

Alisaie: Shutting down the anti-refugee fireworks assholes. Up to you whether you want in on that one or not.

Astarion: ...We'll see. I'll think about it. On one hand, it's altruism at its 'finest' ... but on the other hand, a good meal so you don't have to worry I'm snacking on the cook downstairs.

Alisaie: ...I guess if you're saying it, you're generally not doing it. C'mon. Heist.

[riddlerosehearts]

more thoughts on my baldur's gate 3 playthrough! still running around exploring this giant city and trying to make my way through act 3. in this post, i continue gale's companion quest.

all right, so i explored the city a bit more. found carm's garms and uhh, also found naaber. i'm dying at him trying to be a cleric, praying really really badly and when you ask what god he's praying to he goes "there's more than one?!" like HOW do you get to be a grown adult in this world and not know that skjdafg 😭

anyway, i exhausted all of his dialogue. thought it was kind of funny but was surprised at how bizarre and out of place he felt and especially by the fact that he talks kind of like spongebob. looked him up to see if there was anything more to his entire deal and found out that apparently he's a running gag from previous baldur's gate games! so that's neat, but i seem to have turned the poor guy into an oathbreaker paladin. oops!

also found the harper hideout, did the battle there and learned about minsc! i know he's from a previous game like jaheira is, and i also know he's recruitable later. not sure i'll end up using him any, especially since i already thought halsin and jaheira became recruitable a little too late, but maybe once i meet him i'll change my mind.

then i continued the murder investigation, and on my way to progress through the quest we got invited to gortash's coronation! made sure to bring karlach along with me for that and damn, she was immediately SO ready to kill him. he says a single sentence and she says she can taste his blood. and then she yells at him and stops just short of saying she's going to shove her boot up his ass LMAO. i also had wyll with me and there was a bit of extra dialogue about his father!

i'm actually a bit annoyed about how the whole deal with mizora plays out because like, there's this whole theme of the companions reclaiming their agency and i believe letting shadowheart make the choice to spare the nightsong on her own is actually the "correct" option over trying to persuade her. so... why do you have to choose whether wyll should break his pact or save his father? why can't you tell wyll to make the choice for himself? and tbh i also feel like there's basically zero chance that wyll as a character would ever not choose his father anyway, whereas with shadowheart there's this tension and ambiguity where right up until that moment you can't be sure what she'll do, so that's another flaw in how wyll is written imo. oh well.

walked into a church in the city and there is a statue of mystra here. elenion made small offerings to tyr and helm and a larger offering to selune, but for mystra? he kissed gale in front of her statue and then left <3

lakrissa and alfira are so cute 🥺 i found them on the roof of the tavern and alfira was looking out at the city and said she'd never get tired of this view, while lakrissa who was looking at alfira said "same here"... god i'm so weak for that sort of thing.

honestly i've wished alfira had been recruitable ever since i first encountered her in the game, and i guess if she was then we would lose this sweet wlw couple, which would also be a shame AKLJGHDF but idk i like her a lot and i think having her around and getting to know more about her would've been fun!! especially since i think it's a huge shame that there isn't a bard companion.

hey, i finally figured out where sorcerous sundries is! the lorroakan fight was a little annoying with all his myrmidons running around, but i did manage to cast tasha's hideous laughter on him for a few turns, which was hilarious. god i can't wait to get elenion up to level 11 so he can learn otto's irresistible dance.

the vault frustrated me in a way that i don't think it was supposed to, because wyll got downed from a trap without me realizing and i got kind of lost trying to get back to where he got downed at and then i forgot how to get back to the beginning of the vault so i could leave omg. i'm probably the only person in the world to have that kind of trouble with it. but oh well, we got gale his super dangerous-sounding book!!

and then i got to see the gorgeous boat scene that i've seen so many gifs of. and i love gale so much askdjghfdsgjhdf i'm 😭😭 first of all i will never understand how anyone could hate a man who says things like "with you, i forget my goddess" and "you put the stars to shame". that second quote especially is killing me because it feels so tailor-made for my tav! and then the fact that he is so surprised and relieved that they love him just the way he is!! aaaaaaaaaa i'm going to explode. hate when people say gale fumbled a goddess because she's the one who fumbled him!

going to end this post here, now that i've seen gale's talk with mystra, so i can take a look at my quest log and decide which of the 93475384 sidequests i've picked up should be handled next!

[blackjackkent]

Alllllll righty, it's been a WHOLE WEEK since I was able to do any writing about Rakha's ongoing Terrible Time In The Shadow-Cursed Lands, and I have been missing my poor fucked-up girl.

How're you holding up, Rakha?

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Quick recap (for my own benefit as much as anyone else's) - Rakha has reached Moonrise and it's been kind of a clusterfuck. We did save Minthara (and surprisingly enough, Rakha actually seems to like her, much to Lae'zel's chagrin), but everything else has been sort of awful.

Wulbren, who Rakha rescued on Barcus's behalf, has turned out to be a complete toolbag,

The beast wants Rakha to destroy Isobel, and being denied that, rose up in Rakha's brain and murdered a cat in cold blood for no reason,

and most importantly:

Everyone in Moonrise Towers seems to know her, including Ketheric himself, who mocked her as a "mad dog."

Disciple Z'rell seems even less pleased to see her, and there's a strange tension to their interactions that Rakha doesn't understand.

The only one who seems pleased at the reunion is the terrifying illithid meat in the walls.

On the bright side, she can get Wyll smooches now. ^_^

We did a quick check-in at Last Light, but Rakha wants to get on the road again as soon as possible. She can almost smell Isobel's presence, and she knows that if they stay too long, it's likely she will lose control again. Her current plan is to follow the orders from Z'rell to go find Balthazar, and in so doing, find the Nightsong relic that is providing Ketheric's immortality.

But she doesn't know where that is, so that means an aimless wander through the darkness of the Shadow-Cursed Lands; she hates walking around in that corrupted magic, but it's still better than salivating over the murder of Isobel, the one person keeping it at bay.

(Translation: I want her to catch the other sidequests in this area, so we're not going straight to the Sharran mausoleum.)

One of the nice things about the party system in BG3 is that not only can I say that Rakha sent Wyll up to make a report to Isobel in her place, rather than face her directly, but I can actually do it:

"You did well to help those people escape Ketheric. Every soul saved is a blessing, and you're raining them upon us."

"I saw Ketheric at Moonrise Towers. He was presiding over a trial."

"Almost laughable, that he sees himself fit to judge anyone. Did you learn anything about how we might defeat him?"

"I think I know the source of his invulnerability - a relic called the Nightsong."

"That's incredible news. I won't ask for specifics as to how you uncovered that... but I'm grateful you've done whatever it takes. I can't believe there's an end in sight... thank you."

In Rakha's particular worldstate, this definitely reads like someone has informed Isobel of Rakha's tendency towards wanton violence and she is making a point of looking the other way. XD

Also "end in sight" feels like it's putting it a bit strongly at this stage of the game - but Wyll doesn't object. Far be it from him to take away anyone's hope in this place.

He also has the chance to ask her a few questions about herself, her history, and the shadow curse, and she basically evades and lies aggressively through her teeth through the whole conversation. Obviously, I know this but Wyll doesn't - but on some level, I think he probably picks up on some of the clues that she's not being entirely truthful. After all, he has a long history himself of evading questions about exactly what happened with Mizora and his pact.

"Moon and shadow, light and dark," Isobel says, when he asks her about the curse and about Shar and Selune's conflict. "Divine sisters ever at war. And this place has become one more battlefield. Sometimes life forces us to choose sides. Luckily... sometimes the choice is obvious."

Yes. Wyll can understand that.