#that after giving the idol to shadowheart as a gift and getting such a good response

[blackjackkent]

Rakha makes her second visit to the forge after everyone else has settled in camp. She trudges back an hour or so later with a large item wrapped in her cape under her arm.

She's aware that both Wyll and Lae'zel have sat up, watching for her return; normally she goes to the fire and sits by herself until Wyll joins her, but this time she pivots towards Lae'zel's tent and comes to a halt in front of it.

Lae'zel looks up at her with narrowed eyes. "Is our business here finished, then?"

"Yes," Rakha says. "There was one more piece of mithril to be used." She unwraps her cloak from around the metal under her arm and lets it fall onto the animal skin cushion next to the tent. It hits the material with a soft, metallic thump. "For you. If you want it."

Lae'zel looks down curiously. The forge has crafted the raw mithril ore into a piece of armor - heavy and solid, much more so even than her own githyanki half-plate. It glints in the firelight with a pale green underlight. "For me?"

She sounds doubtful, and no wonder - the first piece of mithril they found became a shield for Wyll, and given the current state of things in camp, it certainly read like a deliberate statement.

Rakha hesitates. "A... peace offering," she says slowly after a short pause. "We have been... at odds."

"Yes." Lae'zel's nostrils flare with a sudden sharp breath inward. "I... did not expect this," she says honestly.

"I know." It's not really fair to be disappointed that Lae'zel isn't as effusive in her thanks as Shadowheart was for her gift, but nevertheless Rakha feels an odd flicker of disappointment. "I thought you might find use of it."

Lae'zel frowns and leans down to pick up the armor, running her fingers over the grooved inlays that texture the metal. "Yes," she agrees again after a while. "It is a fine piece. And I will wear it with--" She trails off abruptly and seems to consider a moment before finishing the sentence. "With honor," she finally says.

Rakha relaxes slightly. Silence stretches heavily between them as Lae'zel fidgets with the armor's fastenings, testing its weight. "I have hurt you," Rakha adds abruptly. "I did not mean to."

Lae'zel sighs softly. "And I did not mean to mislead you, in bringing you to the creche. So we have each had cause for anger." Her lips twitch in a flash of muted humor. "And yet we have not come to blows - what more could be asked?"

Rakha breathes out heavily in a silent almost-laugh, but her eyes remain serious. "I would rather we be on good terms," she says quietly. "You have taught me much."

Lae'zel snorts. "Chk. What have I to teach? Even the things I thought I knew have proven false."

"I thought the same at first, in anger," Rakha says gravely. "But I find I return to your advice every day. At each moment of crisis, I think of your words."

Lae'zel's eyes flick up from the armor and she looks legitimately startled. Then her gaze narrows, examining Rakha's face intently, looking for a sign of falsehood or mockery. But Rakha's expression is as steady as ever, oddly sincere in its guileless intensity. "You speak truly," she says after a little while, and it isn't a question so much as an expression of surprise.

"Yes."

"Well." Lae'zel considers this for a moment, then sets the armor carefully down next to her pack, ready for the next morning's use. "Then I have served some purpose yet. And you..." She trails off into silence and thinks over her words carefully before going on. "You were an ally at a moment when I needed one most. And will continue to be, as long as we both breathe."

Rakha actually does smile, very slightly. "Good."

[optiwashere]

I love all your analysis about Shadowheart, it helps a lot ! I agree with you, act 2 was great for her as it is but I'm curious how you experienced one moment in the game. It's when the party get out of the Shadowfell via a portal, then Shadowheart is momentarily captured by Shar to torture her.

In my run, when Shadowheart returned from this, Tav just told her, she's not alone, she has them, and Shadowheart just go throught and confessed her feelings and her desire to be together now and forever with Tav.

This use of forever was so abrupt from my pov, I really didn't expect it, at this moment.

And I wonder now, how did it go for Asheera ? And how did it go for you ?

I'm glad you're enjoying these posts! It helps me to break down these ideas for later fic writing purposes too, since I haven't been able to play the game for a while (ordering a second SSD so that I can just keep the damn thing installed permanently lol)

I went over the abruptness in this analysis essay thing last month! She definitely did the immediate confession in both of my playthroughs.

But the TL;DR is that I think she just had the illusion of Shar's "love" for her completely shattered, between her good-natured instincts struggling with the Nightsong being a tortured woman like Aylin and then her own torture, and after spending an entire Act keeping away from the PC she just pushes every emotion out at once. It feels abrupt because we don't live in her head, and when we as an origin playthrough do we obviously can't experience her romance.

A lot of this is extratextual analysis, but to ME that abrupt reaction feels as if she's frantically reaching for anything that openly, in her face, tries to be good to her.

The PC respects her boundaries without any argument or prodding or second-guessing, something that Sharrans just don't have. She lived in a cult compound for decades without any privacy except what she stole with Nocturne and the hiding place.

The PC might give her an Idol of Shar or bring Shadowheart her favorite flower as a gift without any expectations whatsoever. Sharrans don't do that. Everything is transactional or laced with double-meaning.

Throughout Act 2 she focuses entirely on her religion, and what does it get her? Hate and pain and betrayal and (with Aylin's help) later recognition that everything has always been a lie.

So why not try this thing that's staring her in the face that might be good? Why keep hiding herself?

For Asheera: in my fic canon, Asheera is an Oath of Redemption paladin (let us fucking pick it Larian! It's so fitting for this game!!!) so she's desperate during the entire Act 2 to push Shadowheart away from the Dark Justiciar path. She recognizes a blind zealot, but she doesn't want to hurt Shadowheart and just lets it go. There's the possibility that she actually breaks her oath there (fic fodder!) And there's a part of her that has to be ready to fight Shadowheart in the Shadowfell if things had gone differently.

As for the confession, I think Asheera is just terrified when Shadowheart's gone for that brief moment (at least brief in the Material Plane.) It's basically instant in-game, but I like to imagine it's a few breaths at least. Enough time for Asheera to wonder if she'd made a mistake, and when Shadowheart returns they're both just so relieved to be together all the confessions spill out of both of them.

Like, Asheera's thought process is basically: she actually did it. She threw away the goddess torturing her. I don't care what else happens now as long as she's safe. Oh? She says she wants to be together forever? *brain snaps in two like a twig*

And with that, I gotta go to work lmao

[themelonlad]

*slides into your ask box with an arm full of questions* why hello, i come bearing gifts :)

Tav question’s for Donnie: 6+7 + 10 + 17 + 20 + 21 + 38 + 43 + 63

🧡🧡🧡🧡

Okay so im gonna go ahead and put this under a readmore so I don't obliterate everyone's dashboard-

Donnie's story starts sad, but gets better! Its also a pinch cliche cause I decided to be a bit more indulgent and wanted to make a good ol fashioned corny paladin background.

Donatello was an unexpected- and unwanted- half-drow baby. He was abandoned in the streets of Baldur's Gate at an early age (we're talking like age 5) by his birth mother, where he managed to get by on the charity of strangers for a couple years. Eventually, looking to get out of the rain, he stumbled into a local Lathander temple, right into the leg of someone who appeared to be a cleric there for a visit. This someone was a man named Peter.

Peter, being a follower of Lathander, took Donnie in without hesitation. Donnie was a shy, nervous, but sweethearted kid, and at the end of his business in the city, Peter found himself unable to take his mind off the orphan on his journey home. He ended up turning around to find Donnie again, and asked Don if he'd like to come home with him. Donnie happily said yes.

Peter brought Don home to his village and his wife Marianne, a drow woman who's parents defected from Lolth, and left the underdark to raise their child on the surface. (Specifically because I enjoyed the idea of a follower of the Morninglord falling in love with someone from the Underdark. love that shit) He meshed into their lives with ease, and quickly came to adore his new adoptive parents. Peter was his idol, and Donatello aspired to be a protector like him. Wherever Peter went, if Donnie could get away with it, he wouldn't be far behind. Somewhere along the way he picked up his father's faith too, finding comfort and community in Lathander's people. Things seemed picturesque, for a time.

Fast forward to Donatello in his mid teens, he's started to learn how to fight, how to defend, take the first real steps of following his dad's path. Peter gets called to Baldur's Gate again, for reasons he's unable to tell his family. He assures them its alright, but he may be gone a while as it may be dangerous business. He strictly tells Donatello not to follow. Donnie, brokenhearted, agrees. Its a choice he regrets for a very long time.

Peter never comes home.

Donatello and his mother contact the flaming fist and anyone who'll listen with pleas to find Peter, but it garners nothing. The more they dig the more walls they find, and they return home to find their village in disarray, vulnerable without its main protector. Donatello finds himself at a choice to make, riddled with grief, faced with the legacy of the man who took him in. He silently makes the decision to step into his father's shoes, and in doing so, makes his oath of devotion, marking him as a Paladin.

Its a role he wears with pride for years, until one fateful day, he finds himself faced with the threat of mindflayers, their terrifying nautiloid screaming overhead.

(this is a very TLDR version of his BG and I do not give a fuck if its not DnD lore compliant)

The moment he met his father. Peter took him in when he'd been overlooked by dozens, and showed him what it meant to be selfless, kind, and brave. He sees his father as a beacon of everything he wants to be as a person, and even after as far as he's come, he still at times feels like he's chasing his father's shadow.

He'd likely still be acting as sentry for his home, and if not that, I think he would have gone into some kind of craft. He's the type that enjoys creating something that takes some time and effort and sweat. I could really easily see him going into pottery or textiles.

This one was HARD. Donnie believes very heavily in second chances and judging people by their character rather than appearance. I think out of all the companions, he'd actually trust Shadowheart and Laezel the least. Not because he thinks they're lying or anything, he believes them about their why's and how's. No, he doesn't trust them because he's not unconvinced they won't kill each other the moment he stops wrangling them like a pair of hostile cats. He regularly asks Wyll to go on babysitting duty when he can't always be around, and later, when he's a bit more stable, your durge Sylas.

Gonna lump these together cause they go hand in hand- Donnie romances Gale! Don falls first for sure. Under all the ego Gale has a very real passion for his work and realm of expertise, and that joy and fascination shines when he gets to talk about it. Donnie finds himself letting Gale infodump to him about the weave time and time again, and when he sees the way Gale's face lights up when he chimes in with something he's successfully remembered, it makes something flutter. The vibe is very much

Gale doesn't totally realize he's developing feelings at first. He's a bit too absorbed in his lamenting about Mystra, and himself. He finds he seeks out Donnie when he's feeling a bit lonely, but convinces himself they've just become fast friends. He knows Don can't quite keep up with everything he says about the weave, but appreciates the fact he legitimately tries to listen and remember, and his patience when his ego makes something come out a bit meaner than he intends. Where he'd be irritated with a pupil for not recalling something perfectly after one explanation, Gale finds he doesn't mind re-explaining things to Donnie.

His feelings hit him like a freight train the night after Elminster's fun little Your-Ex-Wants-You-To-Explode-Yourself'o gram. Donnie catches him wandering off alone and follows out of concern, and before Gale can stop himself, the wizard hears himself laying his insecurities bare. And when Donatello takes his hands and tells him he's worth more than this, that he deserves better than this, something about it all forces Gale to finally realize how he feels about the Paladin. He asks Don if he'd be ok with keeping him company, as he can't sleep, even if he wanted to. Donnie does, always happy to be Gale's quiet company. It takes almost dying in the fight against Ketheric for them to FINALLY become a thing though. (Sylas wins so much bet money)

Winter! Donatello's a devoted Lathander Paladin, but sunrise happens a bit later in the winter time, and it means he gets to sleep in a bit more than the rest of the year.

Mint and tanned leather.

I don't think Donnie really thinks about legacy. He never really does anything with the intention of being remembered, just that its the right thing to do.

I think, if asked, he'd say he hopes when he's remembered, his family's remembered in the same breath. That his name and their names are inseparable, even after he's gone. That never changes, but the people he includes in his definition of "family" does. (And Sylas is the first to be added to the list.)