#to think Minthara trusts someone that much just for it to turn out she was brainwashed *sigh*

[ilikedetectives]

*Act 3 Minthara spoilers* So in this scene if you have Yenna in your camp and Orin abducts Minthara, we got a little more info about Minthara's past in Menzoberranzan.

"Not the first. I killed my sister in her crib to secure my inheritance."

The more I learn about her upbringing the more I'm deeper into Minthara brainrot.

[katyusha454]

I think I've found the most tragic ship in BG3 and I need to rant about it

I've seen a decent number of people discuss and write about Dark Justiciar Shadowheart, but they always focus on what she's like post-game when she's fully committed to Shar. Which is a fine thing to focus on! Especially when you're writing smut where she's a mean domme. Post-game DJ Shadowheart is a fascinating character. But I feel like people neglect to consider what she's like during the transition phase of Act 3, where she's become Shar's Chosen but hasn't yet Done The Thing that caps off her personal questline. And there is SO MUCH potential for angst and drama during that time frame.

IMO the most important aspect of this stage of her development is that she is not evil yet. She simply made a single bad decision and now she feels like she's in too deep to do anything but double down on it. She's spent her whole life trying to "fake it 'till you make it" and she's only just now starting to transition out of that and into sincere belief. All the misgivings and insecurities she's shared with you are still there, just buried deeper. That desire to love others and do good hasn't yet been completely stamped out. In my Dark Justiciar Origin run, I try to do good things whenever possible as long as I can find a way to rationalize it as benefiting Shar. (but I still ended up saying enough evil-sounding things to make Minthara incredibly horny for me)

So where does Karlach fit in?

Well, turns out when you play as Origin Shadowheart, Shar doesn't make you break up with your partner. In fact, Shar says absolutely nothing to you about your romantic situation. This is really weird if you're romancing anyone other than Karlach, but I think it makes perfect sense for Shar to tolerate a relationship with Karlach for the time being. It's the ideal opportunity for Shar to prove a point. Karlach is dying, and no matter what Shadowheart does, this relationship is going to end in painful loss. Shar wants Shadowheart to fall in love with Karlach only to have that love abruptly ripped away from her. It perfectly demonstrates everything Shar believes about love: that it's fleeting and will always hurt you in the long run. Better to just avoid it entirely so you don't get hurt.

And Shadowheart knows all this. She's studied Sharran scripture extensively, after all. She knows that Shar is trying to teach her a lesson, she knows that the longer the relationship lasts and the more emotionally intimate it gets, the more the end is going to hurt. So why doesn't she break it off? Partly it's because she loves Karlach and doesn't want to end things; she's probably in denial at least a little bit. But I think it's also partly because she's a bit of a masochist. She thinks she deserves to suffer because she knows, at least subconsciously, that she's still not a very good Sharran. She can see the loss coming and she hopes the experience will bring her closer to Shar.

You'd think Karlach would be unwilling to put up with DJ Shadowheart's fanatical bullshit, but personally I think Karlach would stick it out for a whole mess of reasons. Number one, she can still see the good in Shadowheart and she refuses to give up on her partner. She's clinging tightly to the hope that Shadowheart can still be redeemed, even though she probably understands that it's a long shot at best.

Number two, she blames herself. When you play as Tav/Durge or another Origin, Shadowheart will have a conversation with you before deciding what to do in the Shadowfell. But if you play as Shadowheart, none of your companions says a word to you. In the context of this ship, I choose to interpret that as Karlach being too trusting. She's seen the good in Shadowheart, after all. She's so certain Shadowheart will do the right thing that she doesn't think she needs to speak up. It's not until too late that she realizes what Shadowheart needed was for someone to say "hey, are you sure about this?" So now she feels she needs to make up for that failure somehow by continuing to try and nudge Shadowheart in the right direction even though it seems impossible.

And number three, Karlach's just plain lonely. As fucked-up as this relationship is, she's still getting companionship and intimacy, and she doesn't think she has time to cultivate a new relationship if she breaks up with Shadowheart. She wants someone to be with her and hold her hand at the end, even if that someone is a brainwashed cultist.

In sum, both of them know that their relationship is extremely unhealthy; that it's hurting them now and will hurt them more in the future. But they both refuse to end it for their own reasons. And good gods, the ANGST. ARE YOU FEELING IT NOW, MISTER KRABS?

[hijackalx]

MINTHARA NSFW ALPHABET

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

100% depends on how much she likes you LOL if you’re a one night stand you’re getting kicked to the curb 😹😹 BUT if you’re close enough i think she’s kind of sweet? she finds it a little embarrassing but she still wants to do it, so sometimes it might come off a little awkward lmao. kisses any marks/sore spots left on your body and tells you how good you were 💗

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

i feel like minthara has KILLER buns like is it just me……….. she has a really muscular, perky ass lmao, and she’s definitely proud of it. OH AND HER BACK is a close second. i think her favorite part on her partner is their chest. AFAB or AMAB doesn’t matter she loves to mark it up and play with their nipples.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

lowkey has a doting/maternal side that she has to suppress during sex. but you didn’t hear it from me (call her mommy and watch how she short circuits)

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

she’s super experienced. had one night stands all the time before you and isn’t shy at all when it comes to sex. also do we think she let the goblins that were obsessed with her smash? yes or no.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

face sitting. giving or receiving. also likes bending you over surfaces.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

i feel like she tries to keep it serious but every once in a while something will happen/be said and she’ll break LMAO she can’t help it she is lowkey sillay 💗

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

y’all already know my girl is rocking a bush stop playing. she’s too grown to be worrying about pussy hair 😹😹 probably keeps it trimmed though, and i’d say it’s slightly darker/coarser than the hair on her head.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

okay i don’t feel like she’s PURPOSELY romantic. like she won’t consciously do things she considers romantic but some of the stuff she does instinctually is really romantic/sweet (holding your hand, brushing your hair out of your face, etc.)

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

yeah i can see minthara jerkin it LMAO. but only if she can’t find someone to sleep with/just needs a quick nut. like i said she’s not really ashamed when it comes to sexual matters so if she’s horny that shit will be dealt with TRUST 💯💯

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

DACRYPHILIA. your sniveling/whimpering gets her GOING. do NOT go to her for a shoulder to cry on YOU WILL GET FUCKED !!!

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

she loves a partner that is typically strong and capable but can easily make them pathetic and submissive whenever she wants.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

not a lot she won’t do. up for most things unless it’s like….. really, REALLY fucking weird 😹😹😹 also anything that feels demeaning is a no. will humiliate you but don’t try to do it to her.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

prefers to receive here, but if you’re good she’ll put in the work 😼😼

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

almost EXCLUSIVELY rough. only slow and sweet if she’s tired and had a long day. but that just makes those slow and sweet moments more special ☺️💗

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

def a quickie queen. if she’s horny she will be on the lookout for somewhere to fuck. doesn’t care if anyone hears/sees either so the spots are pretty easy to find 😹😹

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

can go multiple rounds with an interval in between. don’t try to go back to back immediately or she will throw out HER back LMAO. a little recuperation first and then she’s good to go.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

hell yeah boy. she uses them on herself and her partner. sometimes it doesn’t even have to be an actual toy— if she finds a random object that gives her ideas she will be using it.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

SOOOOO MUCH. will actually tease you to TEARS (she was hoping that would happen). even outside of sex she likes to touch you/whisper dirty things to you out of the blue. loves how she can fluster you, it makes her feel powerful.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

likes to talk but i don’t see her moaning super loud. if she moans she tries to stifle it by biting her lip, so they’re pretty grunty and groany. i think moaning loudly is a little too vulnerable for her and feels kind of awkward.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

SUPERRRRRR high. like i think it can be legit exhausting sometimes 😭😭😭

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

prefers to stay up and read or meditate or something. getting the vibe that she’s the type to smoke after too lmao. but occasionally she’ll be out like a light— you wear her out sometimes 😹😹

[tikvin]

Durge girlies infodump ✨

Eshra

Bard+vengeance paladin (I call it "got her powers out of sheer hate". Also dialogs of those classes are most fitting for her. She's also not classic Bard tho, doesn't have instrument either)

Is one of the most uncanny looking durges, but you only notice if you look at her for more than a moment and think about it more than a minute. The more you look at her the more strange things you start to notice. The streaks on corners of her mouth with time will reveal to be a wide mouth, unhinging jaw. Hair color and eyes that are not natural for drow. Slightly longer limbs, all that.

However she's a very charismatic person and averts the attention from the details easily enough. She's cunning, knows when to observe silently and when to speak. She's not a prying type, but very perceptive of emotions of others.

Eshra is in romance w/ Astarion, and Eshra detected his lies very soon, but kept quiet about it, playing along and waiting to see where it goes.

Eshra doesn't have anything against killing, however the real joy she gets is from killing those who think they are the shit. Bringing down prideful and strong chars to pathetic death (favourably in most dishonouroful way) is quite the delight of her life. She tries to avert her urges from the unreasonable (to anyone sane) targets to someone strong. She's also smart enough to dig for reasons to kill, Kahga being the best example. Eshra had an urge to just watch the little girl die.Fotr the fist time such urge concerned her, the itch of the urge would not stop if she just ignores it, so she redirects it to someone "bad" in the room, that being Kahga. She digs for reasons to kill and does so, without even trying to make Kahga change her mind.

Eshra also at first "saved" Lae'zel only to wait and dig for a reason to kill her. Eshra attacks Minthara almost instantly, because Minthara is smart and quickly notices something isn't right with her, and Eshra feels thretened by Minthara's prying. She would prefer her to stay silent, silent for eternity.

Jericho

Wild magic sorcerer

I headcanon her to be a very masterful before the amnesia and losing the control after, requiring help of Gale to try and control it (and that's how they get married lmao). She actually might have turned a bit dumber after amnesia.

Jericho is the most determined to stop the urges and most disgusted by her deeds among my durges. She's also a bit cowardly when it comes to her past, so she doesn't pry too much into it, afraid of what she might find. She also the one to believe Emperor. She's a bit wary, but doesn't see Orpheus helping them (the mountain pass was skipped on account of lore reasons, absence of Lae'zel, cuz after reading the discs of Orpheus there's just no reason keep Emperor alive. I will be playing again with Lae'Zel present, so Jericho would free Orpheus, cuz she'd trust Lae'Zel. Which one is canon I will decide after)

After the game events she recognizes her cowardice, and now feeling much more secure in loving and peaceful environment, she does her best to research bhaalspawn and everything about it to help prevent tragedies. Also the only girlie who is a bit bummed that she must avoid having biological children, but she's dutiful enough to recognize that responsibility.

Also the softest among durges, maybe because she got hit in the head the hardest lol, the one who truly starts a completely new and different life after the incident.

Oh, and she's 100% sure Tara doesn't like her, if not hate her

Thalissa

Assasin rogue+fighter.

Very much not a real githyanki and avoids actual githyanki, while simultaneously pretending to be one when it's convenient. With her I'm planning multiple play throughs btw, current one is without Lae'Zel, other will be with her and another with her being Tav.

She's also not concerned much with her urges, or her memories ("eh, I'm a rogue, I doubt I had much to care about anyway"). Obnoxiously smart mouthed, nonchalant, sometimes unintentionally rude. "Heh, yea, I'm a swamp elf". She hides her face usually, pretending to be whatever other race people might mistake her for.

Much like Eshra, Thalissa enjoys killing those who are oh so full of themselves

But she also actually enjoys being around "goodie two shoes" characters, because she likes to poke fun and make them just a bit annoyed, also secretly hoping their "goodiness" will rub off on her a bit, to quiet down the bloodlust.

Thalissa as a Tav is still the "chill and easy going gith". A githyanki who escaped strict military life and lives in material plane, because she enjoys it way more, even if often faced with prejudice.

Thana

Monk

Very temperamental, openly rude, but not in an elegant way like drows are usually, more barbarian like actually. She might have a bit of a anger issues and it's relatively easy to set her off.

Not the smartest one, not book wise at least.

Not very concerned for cultural things either. "Blah blah blah, balance, rules, boooring, are we fighting or what?"

She is also the one who gets concerned only when her urges start targeting children, but brush them off to kid being annoying and the urge being an intrusive thought. She genuinely tries to be "the friendly drow", but the moment she hears something rude with "you're a drow" reasoning she just can't keep her tongue back, which then doesn't help her making her case lol. You get approximately 3 sentences to make her like you, cus that how long it takes for her to decide (however, in certain cases she might get mad that you don't like her and make it her mission to make you her friend)

She's also not too concerned about memory loss, she undermines her "condition" until it takes grave turn, then she's scared, but too prideful to admit it, until, yet again, it gets in dangerous area (act 2)

That would be it for now, just a bit of general info about the girlies. If you have your favorite, feel free to ask about them, I'd love to answer, I've been keeping the lore for a long time

[trappedinafantasy37]

Minthara and the Wizard

It kind of is a bit of a running gag in the game that Minthara doesn't hesitate to shit on Gale and it is absolutely hilarious. Now, she makes it very hard to tell, but Minthara actually does like Gale (she actually likes all of the companions, she just won't admit it, except for Lae'zel and Karlach). I'm pretty sure she has a line of dialogue somewhere where she admits that she just like fucking around with his head.

But I was thinking about something today in regards to Minthara and Gale's relationship. Now, I've noticed that Minthara actually has a lot of overlap with the other origin companions. But the overlaps show in ways you wouldn't initially notice. I think when you first recruit Minthara, she does dislike him at first and she says something about wizards having a habit of blowing themselves up and Gale is readily available proof of her point. She feels that because wizards have a short lifespan, it isn't worth the time or effort to get to know them.

I also saw a post pointing out how Minthara criticizes Gale for the bomb in his chest but not Karlach despite the bomb in hers. Some think this difference is caused by misandry and that Minthara just hates men. I mean, misandry probably does play a role in her perception of Gale, but the real difference in attitude is because of the difference in circumstances between Gale and Karlach.

The bomb in Karlach's chest is not her own doing, but someone else's. The bomb was put there by someone else against Karlach's will and she now has to live with the fatal consequences of someone else's actions. Sure, you could say that Karlach's mistake was trusting the wrong person. But Minthara does not see trust as a weakness and is something she values deeply. She does not criticize Karlach for the bomb in her chest cause Karlach did not bring it upon herself.

But Gale, on the other hand, the bomb in his chest is his own damn fault and Minthara does not pity him for it. Gale has to live with the consequences of his own actions, knowing that they could lead to his demise if not handled correctly (especially since his bomb is the magical equivalent of a nuke). This is where the overlap begins.

Gale let his hubris override his sense of reason and self preservation, much like Minthara's hubris overrode hers when she tried to take on Moonrise. That hubris put Gale and the lives of others in peril, much like how Minthara was tortured by Orin and watched her own men be turned into thralls. Gale has been condemned to death by a god he once worshiped, just like Lolth left Minthara to die in Moonrise. And now Gale has to choose to either become a god or die, much like Minthara feels about becoming Absolute or dying herself.

Minthara has no pity for Gale's situation because she believes that he deserves it, much like Minthara has no pity for herself as she feels she deserves what happened to her. She does not see herself nor Gale as victims of their situations, but people who have to live with the consequences that they brought upon themselves.

I think this initial dislike and constant bullying of Gale is just her deflecting her own insecurities and feelings of inadequacy onto him, failing to realize he feels the same way about himself. She does learn to like him over time when she does get to know him more. But now she can't just stop bullying him cause then he'll know she likes him and she's not gonna feed his ego like that.

[linka-from-captain-planet]

Hi again! Here's another thing I'd like your angle on: When trauma catches up with either Minthara and Florrick, how do they help each other cope?

hi! This is tough to answer because you first have to arrive at one or both of them a) registering the fact of being traumatized and simultaneously b) welcoming help from anyone, let alone one another.

Cut for wall of text

Minthara picks and chooses what trauma she's willing to recognize (e.g. she will talk pretty freely about Orin, but will never acknowledge the trauma of her upbringing). Florrick definitely thinks she doesn't have any because the only real setback she's ever experienced in her life was Wrym's Rock and that Turned Out Fine. So the first barrier is that neither is really likely to open up.

In my headcanon, Minthara opened her heart to a Tav only for them to choose someone else, so she's more hesitant than ever to open her heart, even as much as she desperately wants that connection. She would write Florrick off as not being able to understand because she didn't experience the tadpole herself and has only ever heard the worst of Menzoberranzan, and she's also very cognizant of the fact that Florrick wants her to change. She feels like she's still at war, so showing any "weakness" just wouldn't fly. Florrick would be able to recognize when Minthara was upset, but being more emotionally reserved and not a words of affirmation type, her attempts to support in other ways would probably fall short. (This is increasingly the conflict in my fics).

For Florrick, hubris is a big part of her personality and I think she sees herself as being logical and methodical, when really she just isn't. She was on board with the logistical implications of losing Ulder to the Absolute and grieving for her city, but she doesn't quite grip the purely emotional impact of the truth that she was almost killed, her talents and efforts weren't enough, she was betrayed by a monster wearing the face of the most important and trusted person in her life. It keeps her up at night, but she holds the feeling at arms' length, trying to rationalize it away. Minthara, depending on how emotionally engaged she's feeling, might not have a lot of sympathy because betrayal and impending execution are just a regular Tuesday to her. At her best, I think she'd actually be quite good at comforting Florrick with her poignant words and grounding touch, but she's also self-conscious of her feelings in contrast to what she perceives Florrick's to be, so she could easily hold back.

Another thing is that Florrick has something that Minthara doesn't: other people to turn to. If she felt she needed support, she would seek out Ulder, other friends, or other more established romantic partners first, both because they know her better and because she isn't sure if Minthara wants to be that emotionally intimate. For Minthara, the loneliness of surface life is a big pain point these days, so feeling like Florrick chooses others over her builds resentment and makes her less likely to try.

So basically, they could help each other cope, but... it's spotty at best.

[seaofdaydreams]

Now that I'm doing my evil playthrough, I have some things to share on romancing Astarion in Act 1!

I remember watching goblin party videos on Youtube and seeing comments lamenting that Astarion doesn't trust you because in that version, you wake up to him basking in moonlight instead of sunlight which means he didn't trust to stay with you through the night.There was also some talk about how in this version, he never fully turns his back to you? I never noticed that though; it looks the same to me...? Might need a side by side to tell.

I put off the goblin vs druid quest until the very last moment because I was struggling with killing off a lot of people I had grown to love my previous playthroughs. I hit high approval with Astarion very quickly and ended up getting propositioned way before I ever got to the goblin party.

And Lirael woke up to Astarion in sunlight.

So now, I feel like it's not quite about him trusting you or not. Lirael did plenty of messed up stuff before she dealt with the druid grove. I feel like it's just that you have to wake up to him in moonlight because how else is Minthara going to try to murder you in your sleep in the dead of night for plot purposes?

But anyways, because the "meeting in the forest/back scars" scene had already happened, I was curious to see how this night would pass. Of course, Lirael talks to Astarion first and he gives the "Here's my treat, etc, you will come to my bed, won't you?" lines instead of offering a drink and proposing a toast. Lirael's been smitten since pretty much day one and agrees to spend the night together.

Lirael didn't talk to Minthara during the party and gets ambushed immediately by her after I click the LR button and propositions her a second time. For a myriad of reasons, Lirael really doesn't want to. But Lirael might gain safe passage to Moonrise and important information about the Absolute from sleeping with Minthara and Lirael is someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to gain power so that she can survive and thrive. So she reconsiders despite having refused earlier. After a few moments, Lirael gives in and agrees, despite being pretty uncomfortable about it.

I click long rest and we go to the "Who will you sleep with" options. I chose Minthara. We fade to black. And you know what?

ASTARION SHOWS UP INSTEAD OF MINTHARA. "I hoped you would come. I have missed you. And now you're all mine, and I'm all yours."

Bruh. At first, I thought it was because I knocked out Minthara non-lethally (I may or may not have saved and killed all the goblins in camp for chasing Scratch, stressing out the Owlbear, and for cutting the lute out of Alfira's cold dead fingers) but it happened even when I left the goblins alone and Minthara wasn't knocked out. Normally, it seems accepting one proposition can lock you out of others (my first playthrough I agreed to share a bottle with Shadowheart not realizing she meant sex and Astarion was pissed) but Astarion was still propositioning even after I tried talking to Minthara first and agreeing to spend the night with her.

I know it's probably a bug but I like to think that Astarion noticed how uncomfortable Lirael was and swept her away before she could do something she regretted. 🥰🥹

Anyways, tldr, I'm now convinced that Astarion does genuinely like and trust you whether you're evil or good in Act 1.

[dw-flagler]

Great to see a bg3/worm combo fan like myself. Which party members do you think are the undersider’s favorites?

bit of a tough question for me. See, your problem is that you should have asked someone smart or perhaps literate. Long, boring, and almost completely incorrect Post below. Don't read this.

Let's say all the undersiders are playing the video game baldur's gate 3. Who's their favorite companion?

-Taylor's is likely Wyll, since he is pretty similar to her, with his highly self-sacrificing nature and focus on Doing Good. Everything wyll wants to do in-game or does in his backstory is pretty much what she would have done in his place. I think she wouldn't really dislike any of the companions except for Astarion, just because they're supposed to be likeable. She would be ambivalent about shadowheart. She would dislike minthara but she never realizes you can recruit her.

-Rachel would not play Baldur's Gate 3. Straight up, you couldn't make her. Even if you somehow did, she would quit before the prologue ended.

-Brian would like... Lae'zel? We know how much he loves women that beat the shit out of people. Lae'zel does in fact beat the shit out of people. I don't feel he would particularly like most of the party in bg3. He's normal. He's so normal guys. All the companions have quirks or something silly just be normal. Brian wouldn't really care a ton about the story, I don't think. He'd follow the greater plot beats of what's happening, but like he would not follow or care about Lenore's story, for instance. He would enjoy the turn based combat though, I think.

Lisa would probably like Jaheira the most? I'm mainly guessing here (see above). as a video game, she would likely only ever see it as a video game, and wouldn't really be able to look past its writing. Lisa would probably just see a mess of dialogue triggers and path outcomes, and never really see it as more than the sum of its parts. I would wonder what she does for fun after she gets her powers but i somehow doubt Lisa does things for fun anymore. She might enjoy doing exploits to do like a million damage, but I can't imagine her liking a video game much. Anyway she'd probably like some of jaheira's jokes.

Alec. I, um. I'm gonna be honest. I have no idea. I feel like he'd probably find Astarion's quips funny (though not super funny). I don't think he'd like karlach much, because I think he'd see that the game clearly writes her to be likeable and he would find that annoying, in a don't tell me what to do sort of way? He probably wouldn't care much about the story, and he wouldn't really care for the gameplay? He doesn't particularly strike me as a Turn Based Strategy fan. Alec probably plays the game for like 5 hours, gets bored, realizes he can't refund it, uninstalls it, and then plays something else.

Aisha. I am in a similar position with Aisha as I am with Alec. The characters I understand the least (and I don't understand the others very well to begin with). I think she'd romance Astarion but Ironically. I don't think she'd like him but she'd romance him because he's popular and then she would kick him in the nuts in a complex gambit for postmodern ironicism. As for the video game, she'd probably enjoy the combat in a "makes overpowered multiclass combos" sort of way.

Let's say all the undersiders are in the video game baldur's gate 3, as in they are tav. Who's their favorite companion then?

Taylor's opinions turn right around, probably. Shadowheart goes from a mildly annoying but helpful cleric to a dangerous follower of an evil god. Astarion becomes a shifty dangerous rogue (not that she ever likes him much). She immediately dislikes and distrusts wyll, and says a bunch of insane shit about his pact with a devil. probably compares it to a drug addiction at least once. Once he explains, if he explains, she'd probably come around to him, but it's a big if. Taylor's paranoid. She can't trust any of these people. Her party would probably end up being gale, wyll (because he's at least better than the others), and karlach, just because she can't/won't trust any of the others, not enough to watch her (non insect covered in this reality!) back.

Brian would dislike everyone in the party significantly more. Lae'zel would still be his favorite member, but he would very much disapprove of a lot of her decisions. Like guys, can't we do all this important stuff about vlaakith or shar or whatever after we stop the parasites from eating our brains? It's kind of important.

Lisa would probably have an aneurism. You basically have to talk every member of the party off a ledge at some point in the game. She would not like Gale because he does insinuate that the player is dumb a few times and she hates being called dumb. She takes one (1) look at karlach and her eyes start bleeding.

Rachel hates all these people, with the exception of Karlach, who is straightforward and--I don't want to say "simple" because that implies things about her intelligence and karlach isn't stupid. But karlach is simple! she's not lying about anything, she never hides her opinions, she's never coy. She tells em how she sees em, full stop. Rachel would appreciate that. She would probably begrudgingly respect Wyll because of how he's so consistently fucked over by a smug fast-talking asshole. On the other side, she'd hate Gale. Even though he's genuine pretty often, he's very much the smug type. She would tolerate him, though. She again begrudgingly tolerates Shadowheart. Lae'zel is straightforward but also calls you stupid and fights you several times. If Rachel romances any of the companions it's probably lae'zel. She kills Astarion. Note: by endgame she probably likes all the companions significantly more.

My gut feeling is that Alec wouldn't like most of the companions. He'd sympathize with Astarion if nothing else. Similar backstory squad. I feel like Astarion would secretly resent Alec for "having it easier" because alec is significantly younger than Astarion.

Aisha's opinion of Astarion would probably turn around if he was real to her. She would actually like him, though she definitely wouldn't date him.

How would the undersiders react to some of the major moral choices in the game? (provided that they were actually in the game and not playing it)

Taylor would do all the "good" choices, because for the most part there aren't hard moral choices in BG3 (that don't have some secret third "good" option). The main thing is that she'd probably encourage wyll to sign his soul away to save duke ravenguard. Similarly with Shadowheart and her parents. A little self sacrifice never hurt anyone (that taylor doesn't want to suffer). She becomes a mind flayer to beat the netherbrain. Duh.

Brian is an interesting case here. He would not care one lick about the plight of the tieflings or the grove, he would just want the parasite out by any means possible. Oddly, I think Brian would probably be the "evilest" potential replacement for tav. Like, he would want nothing more than to get the parasite out and then just leave. He skips almost all the side quests in acts 1 and 2 because he literally just wants to go home. He probably skips a lot of the ones in act 3. He's got a goal and he's sticking to it. Who gives a shit about the necromancy of thay? While he'd vastly prefer to just let the emperor do it, He might be forced into freeing orpheus just to appease lae'zel. In which case he's not turning into a mindflayer. He spent weeks (tendays i mean) specifically avoiding this, he's not gonna do it now.

Lisa would play both sides every time. Like. She'd start the raid on the druid grove but switch sides at the last minute. I do think she'd ultimately do the "good" choices (because there's not a lot of moral depth to BG3's plot) in the end, but she would be absolutely inscrutable literally 24/7. Betraying people just for sheer love of the game. (she gets a kick out of seemingly siding with gortash, and then destroying all the steel watchers). I cannot imagine her becoming a mindflayer. She probably would free orpheus and make him do it though. She would not appreciate the emperor taking the form of like her dead brother or something. If we say she's a wizard (see below), then I could see maybe a 50/50 shot on her becoming a god with the crown of karsus (is that even possible? I mean, is gale the only one that can do that or can a player-character also do it if they're a wizard? I didn't play a wizard because we already have gale).

Rachel is a little similar to Brian, maybe. She's not the kind to do stuff out of compassion for her fellow man. She might side with the druids in act 1, just because the goblins of act 1 abuse animals pretty regularly. I mean, worm rachel is only really compassionate for specifically dogs though, and worgs are kind of like wolves. I don't think she'd ever actively side with the goblins, though. They're dickheads. She would definitely kill that woman who abused the dogs at the mail carrier in rivington, though. Probably take all the dogs herself. Torch the building. She would not save orpheus, would just let the emperor take care of it, and would destroy the netherbrain. (she might save orpheus if she romances lae'zel. Though if she went to the creche she would get the whole party killed).

Canonically, in Worm, Alec found the person he believed to have the strongest moral compass and basically just said "yeah that sounds cool" to like her every decision. An autistic woman is speaking, listen and learn. He might try something similar here. Hey, Shadowheart. You seem like you know what morality is. You're in charge now. (much like canonical worm, he chose poorly (still better than taylor though))

I'm not sure what aisha would do. Game aisha would be easy. She'd just do whatever was the funniest option every time. Blow up the monastery, let the gondian hostages all trip and die, fuck and then kill minthara. But if it was real to her? She's hard to pin down, I think. She might just stick around for the ride, without any strong feelings one way or the other? I mean, she wouldn't become a mindflayer, but the other stuff? She'd probably do mostly good stuff, with the occasional exception, because, again, BG3 is pretty black-and-white. Do you do the good thing or the bad thing? etcetera.

And a final little bonus: what DND class best represents each Undersider? Just for a little hit of the lamest nerd shit anyone could ever do.

Taylor, I would probably say is a bladesinging wizard? I might also say necromancer. My reasoning is primarily that taylor is the most bookish of the undersiders, the most studious, and she's the most versatile. Wizard is the most versatile magic class in Dungeon Dragon. I said bladesinging wizard, because a big thing about taylor in any fight is that the taylor within the swarm is also dangerous. She uses her baton to great effect, cloaking herself within the swarm for surprise attacks. Bladesinging wizard is the only wizard subclass that even can use melee weapons. (it also helps that by all accounts wizards shouldn't do melee combat, they're supposed to be bad at it, but randomly a bladesinging wizard isn't, and that's taylor being The One Master Cape that actually fistfights people) Of course, this runs into a minor problem which is that a big thing about taylor's power is that it's offputting. Unsettling. she's extremely good at scaring people, to the point she often does it practically by accident. This might be why necromancer might be better, since necromancy is seen as disgusting or offputting. But then you lose the taylor within the swarm part. So i guess it's a matter of which you think is more important to her as a character. There's also swarmkeeper ranger, but ranger kind of sucks, and plus taylor barely ever uses her gun, to the point i don't think she even reloads a gun during the course of the entire book.

Lisa is a tough one. Nothing fits her well, but a lot of things fit her kind of well. Here's 2 options, each with advantages and disadvantages. (Lore bard is also a possibility, but I think it is a bad one)

Inquisitive Rogue. You may think Mastermind rogue, since she's a mastermind cape, but mastermind rogue focuses more on the lying than the detecting lies, so inquisitive. It fits pretty well mechanically, especially that inquisitive rogues can just immediately detect illusions or shapeshifters, but the thing that I don't like about it is that rogues primarily use dexterity, with intelligence being secondary, and charisma usually being a dump stat. Additionally, rogues focus heavily on combat with weapons, which is not lisa's Thing. She does have her gun, but she doesn't really use it that often, preferring her words instead.

Divination Wizard. For one thing, (most) wizards are terrible in melee combat and have low health, which is a better fit for lisa "i work best not fistfighting glory girl but end up doing it half the time anyway" wilbourn. Additionally, wizards have intelligence as their primary stat, which is better for lisa. The large variety of spells does allow Lisa a much less limited amount of perception, though the "sees the future" thing is not her power. Whatever. Look, it's not too far off. This is the best I have, okay?

Rachel is pretty simple. you might be tempted to say she's a beastmaster ranger, though I don't think it's a good fit. For one thing, rangers kind of suck. The beastmaster also has the problem of only having one beast to master, as opposed to rachel's many many beasts. Additionally, rachel does not usually fight people directly, usually using her dogs instead (since that's her power). I think a shepherd druid could be a better fit for her. It gives her the innate ability to basically speak with animals, druids tend not to really interact with or like people, and she can summon and empower many more creatures than a beastmaster's 1. Of course, this has problems of its own. Rachel lindt is not capable of turning into a bear in the web novel Worm. She also can't do that in Ward.

Brian is probably the easiest. shadow monk. He's a hand-to-hand fighter who loves doing crazy ass stunts in service of cold clocking 12 year olds, who also has abilities that work very well to aid him in stealth or surprise attacks. Within the lore, shadow monks also often work as mercenaries. It's Literally Him. Also as a little fun fact, Shadow monks have an ability that is literally exactly his echidna clone's power (teleporting through shadows). They are also immune to the effects of radiation*, which also is a thing Brian can do. This is the only slam dunk conversion for any of these little bastards, to be honest. He's a shadow monk. We're done here.

Alec is probably a great old one warlock, since that's the class focused the most on controlling others, with a greater focus on incapacitation as opposed to mind control. It's closer to his shaker-like power. (to my knowledge there is no spell that allows you to straight up control somebody forever in dungeons and dragons). You could make a case for enchantment wizard, but there's too many wizards here already. You can also link a warlock power thematically to his connection to his father, something that doesn't really care about him very much but he draws power from (even if he resents it). great old one warlocks also have resistance to psychic damage, and like that's one of his major characteristics, what with him being highly resistant to emotional master powers and all.

Aisha is hard. Nothing fits aisha. Her ability to make people forget about her existence is hard to replicate. The closest thing I know of is that enchantment wizards get an ability to make people forget they were charmed by said wizard's magic, but that's, like, it. I was hoping that somewhere there existed a subclass I didn't know about that was like all about making people forget stuff, but tough shit I guess. thief rogue(the best one for sneaking). fuck you, gary gygax.

Bonus:

Sabah could be a creation bard, since creation bards can animate objects and use them to like hit people and stuff. But this is much more limited than her power, and it's not quite the powerful summons that I was hoping for. That being said, i've lowered my standards significantly because nothing works ever.

Lily could be a fighter but none of the fighter subclasses let you make a random object invulnerable. It's a real problem. About as close as I can get is the arcane archer, which allows the fighter to imbue projectiles with a power, but not the "instantly kills anything and pierces any defense" power, for some reason. Strange. And none of this covers her other powers.

Extra bonus:

Amy is a divine soul sorcerer. She only ever uses healing spells (or sometimes buff spells) even though she's got a level six disintegrate just like sitting in the chamber. Mocking her.

[wildskissed]

Eve's Thoughts on the Companions

LAE'ZEL: Eve thinks Lae'zel is very interesting. She's intense, and she is singularly minded, but she seems to be just about the most loyal person that Eve's met in a long time. They have to band together out of necessity, but even with her gruff demeanor, Eve trusts her judgement in battle situations. She certainly tells her to chill though on multiple occasions when things can be solved with respect and communication over fighting. At the same time, once she learns more about Vlaakith, Eve finds herself liking Lae'zel even more. She's been trying so hard to live a life that her Queen would be proud of, but in this whole endeavor, Lae'zel is also finding herself while not compromising her beliefs. It's that kind of strength, Eve is drawn to in people, and she just wants Lae'zel to be happy.

SHADOWHEART: Eve adores Shadowheart, but she also goes back and forth between trusting her judgment. Because she makes it very clear in the beginning that this is out of necessity, Eve does have a wall up, but eventually, she grows to want to protect this young woman from herself. She doesn't believe in shaming anyone for their religion, but very much doesn't believe in Shar either. Eve LOATHES the Shadowlands. She very much tries not to talk about Shar as much as she can, because when it comes to this, she wants to protect Shadowheart from this, what she believes to be, a horrible influence, and it isn't until she can see the cracks in Shadowheart learning it for herself that she will push against it. She knows from personal experience that you can't force someone to see the light, and she knows there is a chance that she herself is wrong. All that matters to her in the end, is that Shadowheart is happy.

ASTARION: Eve appreciates that Astarion is a chaotic kindred spirit, but he's definitely far more chaotic than she is in most instances. She vividly remembers him pulling out a knife on her--of which she threatened to make him eat it--but even then, she understood. She tries very hard to try to get him to see that being kind doesn't hurt them in any way, but the more he opens up, the more she gets why he gets so bratty about that to begin with. It also makes it easier for her to open up to him later, because in being vulnerable herself, she hopes he realizes she's being genuine about wanting what's best for him. Once again, another person she would love to save from themselves, as she's very anti-ascension, but very pro-Astarion.

GALE: This one I think is the most complex (aside from Minthara), just because her initial reaction to him isn't entirely positive. Eve grew up in a time of war, where the only outside experience she has with human mages, is as enemies. They sided with the Fey'ri that tried to destroy her circle and her family, and the man that tried to rip her throat out. So, she finds this wizard stuck in a portal and while the magic and his knowledge intrigues her, she's not sure she can trust him. However, he is nothing like she expected, so while she started with banter and pointing out at every turn that she is in fact made of magic so how dare he talk down to her about the Weave, she is drawn to his knowledge and his passion for magic. She loves that she can talk to him about books and the weave, and that even though his arrogance rivals her own, he's a gentle soul that cooks for them, and genuinely cares. She also finds herself endeared to him the moment she realizes that the feeling of dread she has around him is in fact the orb, and she hates that it brings him such pain. Karsus is actually something they could talk about, as she's been in the tainted part of the High Forest that holds his body from his fall, and she does know a little about that. She just wants him safe and Mystra-free.

WYLL: Honestly, Wyll endeared himself to Eve pretty quick. Not only was he the fabled Blade of Frontiers, fighting off goblins to help the Tieflings, but Eve found herself more interested in the fact that he is so good with the Tiefling kids. Being someone that loves kids and animals as it is, she's so happy to meet a kindred spirit. He's got layers just like she does, was also raised with proper etiquette, and she bonds with him almost immediately. She's quick to believe his plight, just because she already feels like they have things in common.

KARLACH: Since she met Wyll first, she at first thought of Karlach as someone other than who she was, but even upon the first meeting, that idea of her was completely turned upside down. She was nothing like the vision of her that Wyll had in his head, and it almost immediately made her do a double take. It was clear, that Wyll was being deceived, and it makes Eve feel really bad about thinking the worst of her before they met. Talking to her sets them straight, and Eve is quick to believe her, not only because she likes to give people the benefit of the doubt, but because Karlach seems so very genuine. The more they get to know each other, the more Eve feels like they're the moms of their merry little band of misfits, and she loves how caring Karlach is, and how beautiful she is inside and out.

HALSIN: As an archdruid, Halsin reminds Eve a little bit of her father, who is also an archdruid. He's also big like her dad, and a calm, happy-go-lucky wood elf, so she's immediately drawn into a comfortability with him. The more she gets to know him, the more she enjoys his company, but she's not as anti-city as him at all. Eve loves the city. She understands where Halsin is coming from, but she isn't really in agreement, as much as she likes nature herself. She's also not big on the casual sleeping around thing, so they differ in that respect as well. Not saying she would never do it, it's just not her philosophy. Regardless of all of that, Eve adores Halsin and respects him very, very much.

JAHEIRA: As a 'former' druid, Eve does look up to Jaheira a lot. She has a lot of experience, and a lot of knowledge to pass down, but Eve is meeting her in her Sorceress era, so she's probably not as excited as she would have been prior to realizing who she is at her core. She is younger than Jaheira, but because she's definitely older than almost everyone she's travelling with (she's only younger than Halsin and Astarion), she's not a fan of being called 'Cub'. However, she will steal that and calls the others similarly, and Jaheira has a lot of her RESPECT.

MINSC: Honestly, Eve has NEVER met a funnier person than Minsc, and she absolutely adores Boo. She thinks that he's big, goofy and super sweet, and she would protect him with her life. She also probably 'sweet summer child's him a lot, if I'm being completely honest, but other than that, I don't see them butting heads TOO much. At the same time, I can see them bickering over all sorts of things, but I think they both mean it playfully.

MINTHARA: This one is so hard to even answer because honestly...being an Elf, Minthara addresses you as 'Fairy' in the most derogatory tone I have ever heard in my entire life and she got murdered. I haven't done a playthrough yet where I've had Minthara, but Eve does not like her right away, and something tells me they'd have a hard time getting along, but that doesn't mean they would stay enemies in an RP universe. I can absolutely see them eventually getting along in an RP setting, especially given what I have seen of Minthara's story. I think that it would be so much fun to explore, just because they are pitted against each other right off the bat, but something tells me that digging deeper they would both understand each other better in the end.

[thetavolution]

ALLIE

Full name:  Aldona Lagorio Name meaning:  Aldona: old or noble; Lagorio: green lizard Pronouns:  She/Her  Race: Dragonborn Age: 30  Orientation: Bisexual Romance: Minthara Class: Barbarian Subclass: Berserker Origin: Criminal  Theme Song:  Seven Nation Army — SKÁLD / Chop Suey! — System Of A Down / Down With the Sickness — Disturbed / Shitlist — L7 / Familia — Anuel AA and Nicki Minaj

Personality Allie is a simple creature. She likes to beat people up, spit acid, and steal stuff. Allie is short tempered and a woman of few words. She’s the kind of person to shoot first and ask questions later. She’s also the least likely to plan things out and will act on impulse.

She’s slow to trust. You can count the amount of people she trusts with her life on one hand. If you aren’t on that list, keep an eye on her. She’ll betray most people in the blink of an eye. But if you are on that list, she will defend you with her dying breath and keep you close. It's like having a loyal Caucasian Shepherd by your side.

Background Allie was born into a typical Draconian family in Baldur's Gate. She’s one of five children, and she never quite fit in. Growing up, she was constantly getting into fights or stealing. It's thought that her aggression might have stemmed from a traumatic brain injury in her childhood, but it was never proven if the two events were related.

The rest of her siblings are far more docile and friendly. Her family was at their wits end until they kicked her out when she was a teenager. Disowned by her family, Allie lived on her own, surviving by robbing and stealing from people.

She’d go to jail after starting a bar fight and punching a Flaming Fist. They found stole goods on her and added that to her sentence after taking her in. She'd meet Lamia while she was in prison, immediately bonding with her and becoming her right-hand woman.

Likes: Her loved ones, money, fighting, training, spicy food, spiting acid on people, and eating

Dislikes: Crowds, sand, the cold, reading, and talking about her feelings

Fears: She tries to pretend like she’s fearless, but she mostly avoids thinking about the future because she’s afraid she doesn’t have one. It’s easy for her to live in the moment and avoid thinking about what comes next. Her long-term game plan is to die in battle before her actions can truly catch up to her.

She also tries not to think too much about the people in her life and how she has very few real friendships. She fears everyone leaving her, especially when she becomes a hero in Baldur's Gate. It’s like the Bojack Horseman quote, “One day you’re gonna look around and realize everybody loves you, but nobody likes you.” She fears that day is coming for her.

She doesn't want to actually hurt people she loves. Her aggression is very instinctual and not planned. When she hurts someone she didn't mean to, it scares her.

Quirks: She’s hyper aggressive, especially by most Dragonborn standards. She’s easy to anger and would love to just spit acid on her foes and be done with it.

She’s not particularly worried about hitting allies with her spit either. She only avoids it to keep them from turning on her, or if it's someone she deeply cares for. She's fiercely protective and will kill to protect people.

Mental Health:  As a child she suffered from a head injury that might be the source of her aggression. It's not clear if the two are actually related since a doctor or cleric never signed off on it. She’s not evil, but she isn’t the safest person to be around because of it. While she's okay with herself, she is terrified of hurting someone she loves.

Favorite Foods: Meat

Favorite Drinks: Beer

Favorite Flower: Gargantuan Starfish Flower

Height:  6’5”

Skin: She has copper scales.

Hair:  N/A

Eyes:  Flame Yellow

Color Scheme:  She usually wears simple browns, greens, and whites. She really doesn’t care about her outfits and buys whatever is the most simple.

Fashion Sense: She really just gets things for function over fashion. If it protects her in battle and it’s sturdy, she’ll buy it.

Family: 

Balasar Lagorio — 57. He is Allie’s father and a retired blacksmith. He passed the family business onto his son, Kriv. He is the one who kicked Allie out, but with the understanding that she would be welcome back if she got her shit together. He misses her.

Farideh Lagorio — 56. She’s Allie’s mother who works as a bookkeeper. She loves her daughter, but is so worn down by her attitude.

Torinn Lagorio — 35. He’s Allie’s older brother and a paladin who travels the country to protect the innocent and weak. He keeps an eye out for Allie and hopes she’ll come back into his life.

Kriv Lagorio — 32. He’s Allie’s older brother who works as a blacksmith.

Surina Lagorio — 29. She’s Allie’s younger sister who works as a fish merchant.

Korinn Lagorio — 26. She’s Allie’s younger sister. She's a bard in Baldur's Gate.

[morgana-ren]

Halsin hatefucks minthara/drow lady. Mean bear man

There is no 'hate' in that man. There is acceptance, love, and understanding. He would seduce Minthara by merely existing in the same space as her as a confident, loving, and supportive male and that would drive her crazy. She wouldn't understand it. She would think he was weak and foolish and an irritant.

But she's smart. She would see it isn't a ruse. That's just who he is. And she would be intrigued.

They'd have small conversations and she would see that he is intelligent and thoughtful. He is kind and generous. He is everything she was raised to sort of spit on and take advantage of, but he is also secure and confident and wouldn't allow himself to be stepped on. He sets healthy boundaries for himself.

She respects his power and his mind, but can't really come to terms with the rest of it. She can't grasp it.

So maybe she gets curious. Maybe she fucks around and finds out.

She finds out that kind and generous and sweet does not mean 'pushover' and it certainly doesn't mean sub. He is perfectly capable of taking sexual control, it turns out. Even with her.

He is a generous lover, but that doesn't mean he is a worm that she can twist and bend and step on. He's happy to question her power, and honestly, it's probably kind of nice for her to be able to let go for once. To find someone equally capable and strong, but in such a different way.

They are complete opposites and that leads to a natural curiosity for her. He has similar trauma but chose to work through it and become a healthy beacon of love and trust. He was raised in such an ideologically different way with his openness and honesty and true, unburdened kindness. Something she has literally never experienced before.

Halsin would lead her to question everything she knows about power dynamics in sexuality and relationships, especially given that she was raised to believe certain things and now she is questioning all of them. I think they'd have a very good connection in the strangest way. Halsin has that effect on people. The people he is travelling with are younger and brasher and haven't seen nearly as much but are suffering in their own right.

Halsin is kind of the embodiment of 'it can be okay, even if you still have guilt or shame or things you need help with.' He feels guilty about the shadowcurse, but he doesn't let it twist him. He does what he can, and he loves, and he gives, and he cares.

Halsin is the kind of support that she and others need. A kind of example. He's huge and hot but more importantly, he is healthy and he is a good person to look to for genuine help-- or healthy sex, at the very least, if you're not looking to go further.

Minthara and Halsin is, in a funny way, Minthara reaching towards the unknown and questioning because her entire life has been ripped out from under her and discovering a new way of life. It doesn't mean she needs to give up what makes her her, but he is so different than anything else she has ever known that I genuinely think it could be good for her.

[dragonologist-phd]

what is your fave bg3 wlw dynamic so far. Speaking as someone planning to do a romance run for every character (starting with Wyll).

ah ok so please keep in mind that i haven't even finished act 1 yet, and i'm trying to avoid spoilers for companion arcs and such, so this is all purely based off my impressions so far and the little snips i've seen of other romances!

that being said, i do think Karlach is going to end up being my favorite! She's already a staple of my party, and everything about her is just so delightful. Her VA does an amazing job- she's got so much personality and energy, and all of the romance scenes i've seen so far are really heartwarming (pun intended). i'm also a sucker for the trope of 'I really want to touch you but can't because my physical touch is literally dangerous'. On top of all that...she's so strong <3 i think i'm gonna bring in my halfling from my irl dnd game to romance her, and once they get the touch thing figured out Karlach is going to constantly be picking her up for sweeping romantic kisses

i'm also really enjoying the Shadowheart romance, which so far has been a nicely balanced slow burn. her date scene especially is really cute, and i'm appreciating the gradual buildup of trust being shown

i haven't seen as much for Lae'zel or Minthara's romances, so i can't say much on them. What i can say is that i'm obsessed with whatever Shadowheart and Lae'zel have going on, and i think when i get around to the Lae'zel romance i'm going to do it playing as Shadowheart's origin. i mean, look at them

their dynamic is already so good! it's the disdain for each other slowly turning to mutual respect all under layers of sexual tension...they intrigue me so deeply, that playthrough is going to be a rollercoaster when i finally get to it

[waheelawhisperer]

BG3 ask game, assuming you're still interested (feel free to ignore if not): 1, 3, 6, 20, 24, 26, 27, 33.

With reference to this post

Spoilers contained herein so I'll put it under a read more

Tell us about your Tav! Name, class and subclass, race, pronouns. Do you have a headcanon for where they're from? Their family? Are they a Dark Urge? Or did you choose an Origin Character? Was it an easy decision? (1)

My Tav is... named Tav. She's a High Elf Beast Master Ranger who enjoys nothing more than exploring the wilds of Faerun and having exciting adventures. She has shades of a wandering knight-errant, and I took the Folk Hero background to reflect this. My Tav tries to do good when possible, though she's been known to have a few moments of dickishness (mostly when trying to impress Lae'zel by looking tough in front of her), and she's gathered a bit of a reputation out on the frontier as someone who can be trusted to help those in need. Her various animal companions are all creatures she's aided along her journeys, and they've chosen to assist her in return out of gratitude for her kindness.

Her time spent away from civilization has left my Tav ignorant of some of the finer points of social interaction, but she's naturally insightful and makes an excellent leader (lucky for her, given the group she's fallen in with...). She's fairly well-educated, and knows a good bit about history and magic in addition to the standard collection of knowledge and skills one would expect from a Ranger.

She prefers to fight with a bow (it doubles as a hunting weapon), but she's a fair hand with any kind of sword or spear as well. She knows a few spells and cantrips that amplify her combat performance, but otherwise relies on scrolls for magical firepower. She can usually be found on the high ground, raining arrows down on her foes as Lae'zel and Karlach block them off and guard her and the casters ferociously.

Also she's bi as hell and considerers the companions her harem

Has your Character been using their illithid powers? (3)

Nope! Tav does not like the mind flayers, and Lae'zel likes them even less, two excellent reasons to never use their powers!

Were you able to save everyone when the goblins stormed the gates at the Grove? (6)

If you mean the band of adventurers you encounter when you first reach the Grove, yes. I managed that without much difficulty. It's a fairly straightforward fight. If you mean the full-scale goblin attack near the end of Act 1, that never happened because I killed all the leaders (even Mommy Minthara T_T).

Were you able to save everyone when the goblins stormed the gates at the Grove? (6)

I never actually found this guy because I fucked up the Zhentarim interaction lmao.

Was your illithid tadpole empowered by anything in Act 1? If so, how does your Character feel about that? (24)

I can't remember, actually, but I don't think so. Tav prefers to avoid empowering her tadpole if possible, a philosophy that puts her at odds with Astarion at times. Lae'zel, on the other hand, wholeheartedly approves.

What was your favorite enemy? Did your Character have any memorable fights or moments in combat that were ripe for headcanons and interpretation? (26)

My favorite enemy was probably Minthara, both because sexy drow mommy and because that was about the point where I started having to pay attention in fights instead of click buttons.

In my canon, Lae'zel froze up a bit when the gith in the creche turned on her on Vlaakith's command - not because she was afraid, but because she couldn't process the society she'd devoted herself to throwing her away so easily. Tav jumped into action to defend her and gave a good accounting of herself, but was eventually overwhelmed. Lae'zel snapped out of her funk just in time to save her. It was very romantic.

(I kept getting fucked by the stupid gith status debuffs they like throwing at you and it took me like 3 turns just to get Lae'zel involved in the fight)

The fight against the demon in the prologue was pretty memorable too. I decided to be a munchkin and kill the demon boss for his Everburn Greatsword to improve Lae'zel's capacity for violence, and in-universe this took the form of Tav threading the needle and expertly putting an arrow through his eye while he was fighting the mind flayer. Lae'zel and Tav had already proven to have remarkable synergy in combat as they fought their way through the nautiloid, and Lae'zel was starting to think of her as something worthy of attention, but her heart skipped a beat when Tav made that shot and then skipped another beat when Tav presented her with a giant flaming sword as a gift/show of trust after freeing her from the tiefling trap. It explains why she was so eager to jump Tav's bones, at any rate.

Otherwise that one guy you can convince to kill himself with a high enough persuasion roll was pretty fuckin memorable

Who ended up in your Character's most used party? (27)

Lae'zel. Rarely does Tav's wifey leave her side (unfortunately, this makes it hard to justify using Karlach as much as I'd like to since I want to have a healer and a caster and only have 4 total slots in the party and Tav doesn't fill either role very well). Shadowheart got a lot of use early in the game because no one else had a reliable source of healing, but now that I have picked up Halsin and Jaheira, I don't feel as pressured to bring her along. Otherwise, I just kind of cycle through the companions when I feel like having them in the party or am following questlines or exploring areas they have connections to.

Has your Character allied with the cult of the Absolute? (33)

Fuck no. Tav doesn't trust those bastards any further than Gale can throw them (with his arms, not his magic. He can throw things pretty far with magic).

Please please please ask me some more!

[sylvainahyperfixation]

bro sometimes i get real confused about why so many people straight up hate minthara when they havent even TRIED her route. oh there's your answer right there. how could they like her when they have no idea what kind of person she is? also the fact that she's not fleshed out because of all the bugs, which is a damn shame.

and then there's also the reality some people live in that if you arent willing to commit war crimes for drussy (ugh, it's not like i didn't do it for this too but reducing a whole ass character to one sex scene is so disgusting) she's not "worth it". i would kill for larian to make her recruitable in a regular party because there's SO MUCH to her. i would wait years if it means there's as much content for her as there is for origin characters. and to the people who're gatekeeping her bc "if you cant handle being evil you dont deserve minthara" listen. fair. but i want more people to see her beyond The Sex Scene and The General Power Hungry Evilness. she's so much more than a one dimensional character a lot of people think she is and it's real obvious when they never take a look beyond her surface. but theyre willing to make excuses for Other Characters.

no shade on astarion lovers (and there are a lot of those) but what makes it so your traumatized horrible man is more worth exploring than my traumatized horrible woman? the level of devotion she exhibits to tav suggests that while she may disapprove of your actions she'll stand with you no matter what you choose (and honestly the bad ending proves that it's even to HER detriment, not that she knows that but there's an argument to be made for if you knew what would happen, would you still pick it? and therefore opportunities for character development). she's no less of a wonderful companion than all of the origin characters. in fact most people think wyll is bland af and yea, i agree. i romanced that guy in my first playthrough as astarion (which btw completely blinded me to what a Terrible Little Vampy Boi he actually is because i was the one making his choices) and i was like dude can this guy just be interesting. not that that's necessarily a bad thing...and wyll's probably the greenest flag companion there is because of how boring he is.

anyways my POINT is. all of our fucking companions are traumatized in some way and have a shady/sus past. why is minthara not worth "redeeming" (by this i literally mean i want to make her happy and not because i want to fundamentally break what makes her who she is, then i'd be no better than the absolute. but if you WERE to change someone it would be a slow and long process and there would have to be a lost of trust and openness, which from the way she's written i believe she's completely willing to share with tav by the end). i want to say this is because there's simply not enough content for her (and it's true) but also that just leads to the conclusion "my opinion of her is tbd because there's not enough info" and not "minthara evil therefore bad". but even with the content we're given if you think that her upbringing didnt completely fuck her over in a way that would take years and years to unlearn and heal from and That's Why She's Like That...not saying it's an excuse but it's a damn good reason. it's not that hard to recognize what makes a character good and the parts that you can poke and prod at to start making them question their worldview and also at the same time not be an apologist and be like "she did nothing wrong" (i would still say that ironically tho)

this has already been too long im just so fucking tired all the time of people who enjoy Other Terrible But Ultimately Redeemable characters and then turn around to slap a label on minthara when theyre formulaically the same because all of our companions are Problematic in one way or another. i guess some of them are just more palatable to you. i've also tried to keep this civil but i have So Many Words for astarion/shart/laezel enjoyers that dont have anything nice to say ab minthara. there's a reason those characters can make an actual party even if you slaughter the whole fucking grove

[fay-run]

3 + 6 for your durge character? :)

3. Does your Tav have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions?

rhea would be picked up as a companion right there on the beach, staring longingly at one of the corpses < 3 so if you decide to recruit her, she should be with you for every companion you recruit afterward. though her and shadowheart connect later, she is wary of her at first, due to how similar they are. they both are reserved and withdrawn, and not willing to talk about themselves. she decides that if her reason for this is because she secretly wants to kill everyone she sees, shadowhearts reason can't be very good either.

she doesn't have much to say about astarion at first. to her, hes just some uppity, obnoxious man who will probably get himself killed whether he joins them or not. when astarion pulls a knife on the pc, rhea actually laughs at him. she doesn't see him as dangerous at all.

wyll she is 100% on board with recruiting. she hopes allying herself with someone as good-aligned as the blade of frontiers will keep her in check. gale shes indifferent to, but she thinks it'll be good to have a mage on their team, and mentions that. karlach is way too loud for her, but the proof of how good of a fighter she is is all around them. the only companion she really objects to recruiting is halsin (after reaching moonrise and curing the shadowcurse). i don't have a good reason for this. she just doesn't care for halsin.

if you decide to recruit minthara, she'll mention that the drow looks eerily familiar. this is because they likely passed each other once or twice at moonrise.

6. Do they have any secrets that can be revealed? What are the prerequisites for this secret coming to light?

this is a doozy of a question for durge. spoilers for act 3 in the second paragraph.

in the beginning, she tries to keep her urges from the rest of the group. she does successfully hide alfira's body, so she essentially gets away with her murder. but after that, she turns into a nervous wreck. constantly panicking over what they'd do to her if they found out what she was, trying her hardest to both control her urges and hide the fact that they're even there from her companions. eventually this blows up in her face, and she brutally kills gandrel (the gur hunter), because her twisted mind sees the fact that he's there to kidnap astarion as an excuse. once she comes to, she is 1000% convinced the others(besides astarion) will either kill or abandon her; either out of fear or because they see her as an unnecessary risk. to her surprise, they do neither. instead they listen to her, and vow to aid her in her fight against whatever this thing is. if she were a companion, this is where the pc would have the option to either accept her and vow to help her, send her away from the camp, or kill her. at this point in the story shes so lost and scared and self-loathing, if the pc decides to kill her she won't even try to fight back. its not like she hadn't thought of doing it herself a thousand times since killing alfira.

as for her other secrets... the thing is, she doesn't remember these secrets. the first one: the fact that shes a bhaalspawn, comes to her in a dream. she only tells astarion and shadowheart at first, but jaheira knows without being told (this is canon, you can watch the durge/jaheira scene on youtube). jaheira convinces her to tell the others, both for their own safety and to solidify their trust in her. which she will absolutely need, because when they meet gortash, it is revealed that she was originally the mastermind behind the entire absolutist plot. pretty much everything they've endured is the result of her past selfs actions. this takes a heavier toll on her relationship with the party, especially with karlach. this is another point in the story where the pc can accept her, abandon her, or try to kill her. at this point, she has been fighting long enough that she won't just let you kill her, you will enter combat.

[dmagedgoods]

15 and 23 for rowley!!

Aaaa, I can finally answer those questions! Yes, I am really that slow. 😔 But while I saw enough spoilers I already had an idea what Rowley's approach would be, I didn't want to guess without truly seeing it. Anyway! I finally did see it. So here we go. Thank you so much for the questions! ❤

15. How did the situation with the Grove, the Tieflings and the Goblins turn out for your Character? (15) Not as terrible as I thought it would turn out. 😂 While Rowley is by no means an altruistic character and stays out of things unless paid well or entertains himself by just watching, those tieflings were very lucky to have two people among them who reminded him of someone. The first is Zevlor. He stood up for the group of tieflings in the grove, showed the demeanor and authority of a true leader – tired and probably bitter because of all the shit he went through during his life and still firm in the most important thing: the wish to protect his people. Rowley recognized his military background and the connected pragmatism and skill, but without the dogmatism he detests. All of this is not only a combination he secretly admires but also made him think of an old friend: His former commander during his own time as a soldier and the only one he ever took orders from. The second one is Mattis, the little rogue in training who tried to trick him and has a lot of Rowley himself when he was his age. Rowley offered Zevlor his service as an assassin, but it was more: Without admitting it, he genuinely wanted to make sure Zevlor and his people and the tiefling kids would make it. So, he researched against Kagha and assassinated her when he had the necessary information to avoid an attack. Out of pure fun, he stole the idol afterward. Though, he gave his trophy to Mol when he met her later. Rowley freed Sazza to make things easier for himself, let her talk him into the goblin camp with the intention to assassinate the three leaders stealthily. Priestess Gut ended up in her own chest, Minthara was sent away, but unfortunately, Dror Ragzlan’s death didn’t go unnoticed. Therefore, the foolish goblins attacked him and had to die. In the end, the only one alive in the camp was Sazza who acted smart and didn’t join the battle. Afterward, Rowley freed Halsin. (Who, interestingly, was nowhere to be seen during the battle at the grove despite telling him he’d meet him there.) Because of his sympathy for the tieflings, Rowley didn’t truly consider working with Minthara (what, in any other case, he would have thought about) but he enjoyed the battle and only knocked her out instead of killing her and even tossed a potion of healing in her direction. (I strongly assume this won’t lead to any result, but it’s nice to know she’s alive. Maybe she’ll be back one day and try to take revenge on him.) 23. What are your Character’s thoughts on the dream visitor? (23) The face and body the dream visitor wears when appearing for Rowley belong to the character I mentioned when I wrote about Zevlor: Rowley’s old friend and commander. This gives him the [unplanned when I made him because I knew nothing back then] advantage of Rowley feeling a certain subconscious affection and respect for him, even if he knows it's not him. Still, Rowley was (and is) skeptical. – Not to an intense degree but he doesn’t trust a stranger (even if he aims to seem familiar) and believes that he helps without something in mind to gain or demand in return. So far, he doesn’t care much about that point though. He assumes the dream visitor will name his price for his protection eventually and then he’ll decide if he’s willing to pay it. For now, he seems to be temporarily safe from turning into a mind flayer and this means he can relax (slightly at last) and has more room to consider different steps instead of urgently running from useless healer to even more useless healer. He doesn’t plan to listen to the dream visitor and consume more tadpoles, though, and ignores that he urges him to. After all, he survives just fine without them and he doesn’t truly like their influence in his mind. At the same time, he mostly keeps a neutral stand about the dream visitor and the tadpoles towards his companions. If they want to consume them, they are free to go for it, if they don’t, he definitely won’t try to convince them, he’s not the type to tell others what to do.

(Although he feels some … concern that Astarion might overdo it and would tell him so and ask him not to should it come to it.)