#we need more of that energy in bg3 really.

[the-weeping-dawn]

Look I don't care how much you can see my little theatre brain trying to find good ways to make sure everyone gets a whole new set for the 11 O'clock Number which is fighting the elder brain so you can dress everyone like clowns if you want

but I'd like everyone to essentially even if not literally get one set that's theirs, and the fancy version of their introduction look to just feel good to see in a final fight.

[angelatmidnight1]

hii thank you for feeding us with your bg3 tickle content 😫🙏🏼 I’ve been starving. Do you have any headcanons for ler!Gale with a stoic/tsundere lee!tav? Or really any of the other companions if ur not a Gale girly. tysm ❤️ [ps. tell me if I’ve crossed any boundaries / done something wrong, first time sending an ask 🙂]

A/N: Hi! You didn't cross any boundaries. I know you said headcanons, but I hope a fic was okay instead? This prompt works nicely with my favorite tav and her relationship with Gale- she's a stoic, snooty sorceress. I kept the fic gender-neutral though. I hope you like it! 💜

Pillow Talk

Fandom- Baldur's Gate 3.

Pairing- Gale Dekarios x Reader (ler!Gale, lee!reader). For the purposes of this story, reader is a sorcerer.

Word Count- 3,723.

Warnings- Spoilers for Acts 1-2 (ish), swearing, rivals to lovers in the beginning, and tickles.

As a noble-born sorcerer, there’s very little you don’t know about magic. It’s flown through your family’s veins for centuries. But, Gale’s different. He knows way more than you’d ever expect. As much as you try to deny it, you fall for him, and channeling the Weave together confirms it. Much to your surprise, the feelings are mutual. As your new relationship blossoms, Gale realizes that he’s never heard you laugh before, and he seeks to remedy that. 

“Can’t I just break it?” 

Karlach whined as she jostled the lock on the door. The lock glowed as she touched it and suddenly sent out a pulse of magical energy. She staggered back, yelping. “Shit! Guess not.”

You maneuvered around her, shaking your head. “It’s a magical lock, Karlach. I told you smashing it won’t do anything.” You stepped closer to the locked door and held up a hand. It glowed as you channeled into your magic. Closing your eyes, you traced your fingers along the lock’s sigils. “This lock is enchanted with psychic magic,” you hissed when the lock pulsed at you, stinging your hands. “And powerful psychic magic at that.”

Gale approached you from the side, humming skeptically. “I hate to be the one to disagree, but these are illusion sigils.” He traced his fingers over the same sigils as you, nodding to himself. “It’s more of a puzzle, judging by the patterns.”

You gave him a side glance, frowning. This was a recurring pattern in your journey. When it came to magic, you and Gale always had disagreements.  “...Perhaps. But there’s psychic magic at work here, Gale. Not illusion.”

Gale raised a defensive hand. “There’s room for overlap, surely. However, I think I know the solution.” His eyes glowed as he reached into the Weave and mirrored the patterns on his palm. “If I follow the patterns, like so, I believe it’ll spell out the missing key.”

“Or,” You interjected and charged up a psychic pulse between your hands. “I can overload the sigils with psychic energy and destroy them. I understand this may not have been in your textbooks though.”

“Oh, charming.” Gale’s eyes flitted over to you disdainfully. “I had not planned on mentioning rank, but since we clearly are, I spent a considerable amount of time as Mystra’s chosen. Dismantling puzzles like these was my bread and butter.”

You weren’t backing down. You went through with your spell, directly interfering with Gale’s. “Don’t you mean former Mystra’s chosen?”

“Hey, c’mon, knock it off!” Karlach scolded. “If you two put half the energy into opening the door that you use to argue with each other, we’d be on our way back to camp by now! Now, hurry up.” Her stomach growled mid sentence. She sighed. “I’m starving.”

“Gladly.” Gale sunk deep into the Weave and figured out the patterns needed to unlock the door. Your psychic magic definitely helped smooth the path forward. Karlach cheered once the door opened. 

“Fuck yeah!” She turned to both of you, beaming. “See what happens when you put your magical minds together?”

You followed her out of the dungeon, giving Gale a once over. “I see what happens when you pay attention at the wizard academy. The teachers must’ve adored you, Gale.” You huffed sarcastically. “Such a diligent schoolboy.”

Gale shook his head, smirking. “That couldn’t be any further from the truth! I slept through most of my lessons. And the trouble I found nearly got me expelled.” He chuckled. “Nevertheless, we can breathe fresh air now, thanks to our combined efforts. I hope we can work together again in more pleasant circumstances.”

“I’d sooner kiss a mind flayer.” You marched ahead of him, grumbling.

Wizards were so infuriating. Pompous, book-ridden, and proud. And yet, there was something to this Gale of Waterdeep. Something that interested you. 

His hubris, as suffocating as it was, was tempered with true expertise. Passion, even.  You’d never met anyone like him, not even in Baldur's gate. Magic was everything to you; it shielded you and brought your enemies to their knees. It was thrilling to meet someone who could match you. Plus, he had a gentle heart. 

You didn’t plan on saving tiefling refugees, but beating up goblins was fun. During the attack, a tiefling child lost their parents. Neither you or Gale could bring them back to life. Still, he comforted them the best way he could. 

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He hugged them when they ran into his arms. “These are horrors that no child should have to go through. I…can’t bring them back, but I do have something that I hope can bring you some comfort.”

The tiefling child pulled away, sniffling. “You do?”

Gale conjured up a necklace of illusion magic. He handed it to the child. “This necklace is just for you. I’ll teach you the incantation to trigger the magic. Before doing the incantation, you need to think of a happy memory you have with your parents. Then, you’ll be able to relive that memory so long as you keep the necklace on.”

The child took the necklace and slipped it on. They toyed with the gem at the end, which glowed with a pleasant warmth. They smiled sadly, “Thank you.”

Something stirred in you. You didn’t name the feeling, but it was potent all the same. You felt hot and your heart raced. You’d never say it out loud, but you had a crush on Gale.

Instead of joining the festivities at camp, you turned in early for the night. You grabbed the first book you saw and settled onto your bedroll. Reading usually distracted you, especially when you read about magic. And yet, your mind was occupied by Gale. After failing to get to even the second page, you slammed the book shut. You tucked the book under your arm and ventured out to Gale’s tent. If you couldn’t benefit from the book, maybe he could. 

Gale’s tent was a short walk away from yours. The party was dying down, but Gale usually stayed up studying. When you arrived at his tent, though, there was a conjuration of Mystra in his palm. He gazed at the image longingly, not realizing that you were watching. You stepped closer.

“Paying tribute?”

He flinched and whirled around. Mystra’s image disappeared, and he exhaled. “You startled me, (Y/N).” he breathed. “I suppose you could say I am, in a way. Though I can’t say my soul feels any lighter.”

You gave him a questioning look. He continued. 

“I hope we can put our earlier disagreement behind us, (Y/N).” He said, taking a few steps towards you. Your heartbeat quickened. “It’s just been so long since I’ve collaborated with anyone regarding magic. I understand that we may have different approaches when it comes to wielding it.”

You waved your hand dismissively. “What’s done is done. Why were you just conjuring an image of the goddess?”

“Oh, that. Well..” He trailed off as if he was unsure of what to say. Then, he cleared his throat. “The longer we embark on our journey, the less connected I feel to the Weave. And, it’s everything to me. It always has been..”  He sighed heavily, then looked at you with a sudden air of curiosity. “I know we haven’t seen eye to eye, but from one arcane user to another, would you like to channel the Weave with me? It’s a wonderful experience.”

You put down the book you were carrying, shifting awkwardly. “I’ve never done it. I never feel far from the Weave’s embrace, so I haven’t felt the need to.”

“Lucky you,” Gale chuckled. “Still, my offer stands. I can show you how to do it. What do you say?”

This was usually when you’d rebuff him. Not this time. Your curiosity piqued, and he did look handsome in the candlelight. 

“Show me.”

Gale’s eyes brightened. He smiled. “As you wish. Follow my lead.”

Channeling the Weave was effortless. Gale was a wonderful teacher: patient, eager, and generous with praise. The air was sweet, and you felt safe in the Weave’s embrace. You closed your eyes, and your mind wandered again. To home. To Gale. To the thought of your lips pressed together in a passionate kiss—

The connection flickered. You forgot yourself. Your eyes snapped open and found Gale. He looked back at you with an equally surprised expression.

******

It took a week for you to face Gale again. You were terribly embarrassed. All of that melted away when, surprisingly, he reciprocated your feelings. 

“I must be a powerful wizard indeed,” He was saying quietly to you during another one of your travels. “If I managed to charm the likes of you. I’m flattered, truly. And, might I say, you have incredibly good tastes.”

“Shh. Do you ever stop talking?” You returned in a hushed whisper, holding back a smile. You and Gale were walking behind Karlach and Astarion, and you didn’t want to catch their attention. Gale noticed the hint of your smile and gasped. 

“Is that a smile I see? Oh, I’m afraid you’re done for.” He smirked and leaned into you. His breath tickled your ear, and you shivered. “I haven’t even begun to work my full array of charms on you.”

“What’re you two talking about?” Astarion cut into the private conversation, a curious glint in his eye. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen (Y/N) speak so much.”

Your smile instantly fell. You frowned, “It’s nothing that concerns you, Astarion.”

“Oh, come on.” The spawn pouted. “You’re no fun at all. What’s a bit of gossip among friends?” He looked at the two of you expectantly, but he didn’t get an answer. He huffed. “Ugh, fine. Be that way.”

Once he turned away, Gale whispered to you again. “Let’s continue this conversation in private tonight, hmm? I could prepare a meal.”

“Fine,” you agreed, nodding. “I’ll bring the drinks.”

After dinner, you stayed in Gale’s tent to read together. Many of your companions were either asleep or involved in their own pursuits, so they didn’t notice your empty tent. You were buried under a purple blanket with a book on your lap with him beside you. 

“Comfortable?” Gale asked as he cozied up to you. You nodded and pushed half of the blanket to him, which he happily accepted. “Excellent. Now, tell me, when did you realize you were hopelessly enamored with me?”

You looked up suddenly, and he was grinning. A blush creeped up on your cheeks. You smirked. “I believe I could ask you the same thing.”

“You very well could. But, since I asked first..” Gale’s grin widened. “I’ll admit, it is a long list. There are the impassioned debates we have, my words, my award winning smile…”

“Awards?” You shook your head in disbelief. “Who’s given you these awards?”

“Three people, actually.” Gale feigned offense. “Why, there’s me. Myself, who’s a great fellow…”

“Stop.” You nudged his arm, giggling.  “You can’t give yourself awards. They don’t count.” 

“According to whom?!”

You covered your face, muffling your giggles. “Gods, you’re ridiculous.”

Gale laughed. When you uncovered your face, he was smiling warmly. “I’ve never heard you laugh before. It’s a beautiful sound.”

Your blush deepened. The truth was that you didn’t laugh much, if at all. You usually spurned the company of others, but you felt comfortable in Gale’s presence. You shifted, turning your attention back to your book. “Thank you. Now, are we going to read, or am I to sing your praises all night?”

“Both sound wonderful, though I’d settle for hearing you laugh again.” He slid close to you so that your arms touched. You smiled, keeping your eyes down on your book. 

“I’m sure there will be something I can laugh at you about soon.” You chuckled lightly and turned a page. “All in good time, love.”

“You’re terrible, you know?” Gale gently squeezed your side with his free hand. You fidgeted and jostled your book. A metaphorical lightbulb went off in his head, and you eyed him suspiciously. 

“(Y/N)?”

“Yes?”

“Are you-”

“No.”

Gale chuckled. “I haven't finished my question.” He discarded his book to the side. He leaned into you with a small, knowing smile. “Now, before I was so rudely interrupted, are you ticklish?”

You shook your head. “I’m not.” You pressed your arm against your side, settling for holding your book with one hand. “You just startled me.”

“I see.” Gale hummed, rubbing his beard in thought. You thought that would’ve been the end of it, but after a brief pause, he was smiling again. “I do apologize, but I again disagree with you. The signs point to the opposite, I’m afraid.”

“There aren’t any-” 

He squeezed your side again. This time, you squeaked and squirmed out of his reach. Gale smirked. 

“Right. No signs.” He answered coyly, extending an arm out to reach you. He idly wriggled his fingers and you leaned away even further, unable to hide your grin. “None at all.”

“Gale,” You started warningly, propping yourself up onto your knees. This made your book tumble off of your lap. “I’m warning you. Don’t try it.”

“Surely there’s no harm in a bit of experimentation, is there?” Gale was testing the waters. He observed your body language. If he noticed the slightest bit of discomfort, he’d back off. Your gaze was sharp, but your wobbly grin told him that he hadn’t pushed too far. “You make one claim, I make another. Yet, it’s impossible for both claims to be correct.”

You put your hands out defensively as he inched closer. “D-Don’t come any closer.”

Gale stopped moving. His smirk broadened. “Of course. If that’s what you want, I will humbly oblige.”

Something was off. As a sorcerer, you could detect magic, and he definitely had a trick up his sleeve. It just wasn’t one you were expecting. 

The sneaky wizard conjured a hologram of himself behind you. It had crept up behind you while you backed away from Gale. By the time you noticed it, it was too late. It fluttered its fingers into your sides, and you shrieked. 

“Gahahle-?!” You let out a short laugh and curled into yourself. You shoved away the hands and whirled around to see the hologram. “Youhu bahahstard.”

“You’ve quite the mouth on you, don’t you?” Gale clicked his tongue, watching you and the hologram with amusement. “It’s actually one of the many qualities I like about you. That, your strength, and your obstinance.” 

While he spoke, Gale’s hologram lightly poked at your torso, earning gasps and curses. If it reached a ticklish spot, it was rewarded with a startled giggle. Both Gale and his hologram wore the same smirk. “Are you absolutely sure that you’re not ticklish, my dear?” The wizard spoke over your snickering. “Based on my observations, that theory gets weaker with each passing minute.”

“I’m nohohot!” You bit your lips, muffling any would be giggles. You were losing the battle with the hologram’s hands. Instead, you checked it with your shoulder, trying to bump it hard enough to make it disappear. That tactic not only failed, but gave the hologram the opportunity to pull you in close. Now, with one arm around your waist, it gently pinched and scampered its fingers along your ribs. You exhaled sharply and bit your lip harder. “K-Knohock it off, Gahale-”

Gale held up his hands, feigning innocence. “I’m not doing anything. I haven’t moved, just like you asked.” 

“G-Get rihihid of the holograham!”

“Oh!” He made a big show of realizing what you meant. His eyes flicked to the hologram and he charged up a spell in his hands. Or, it looked like he did. You knew better than that; he did nothing. He chuckled sheepishly. “Apologies, I’m afraid he has a mind of his own. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Youhuhu are deahad-” 

Gale’s hologram teased your upper ribs with his fingertips. Hissing through clenched teeth, you squirmed in its hold, winding your arms tight around your torso. His fingers were trapped now, so he scribbled his fingers in a side to side motion along your ribs. The laughter was begging to be free, and it made itself known the longer you fought it off. But, if you were going down, you were going down swinging. 

As a last ditch effort, you channeled your magic and sent out a small shockwave. It didn’t do any damage, but it did blow things around. Your goal was to break Gale’s concentration on his hologram spell, and it worked. Gale yelled as he stumbled back, and the hologram disappeared.

“Did you just-” Gale looked bewildered. He wasn’t hurt, but his scrolls and books were in a disarray. “Certainly a bit of tickling didn’t warrant an attack on my person!” 

“It absolutely did.” You breathed. You rubbed the ticklish sensations out of your skin. “You attacked first, and I responded accordingly.”

“You did not respond accordingly!” Gale picked up one of the books that fell. He dusted off the cover. “You could’ve put a crease in my Magical Histories book.”

For whatever reason, that amused you. It amused you so much that you busted out laughing. Gale made the quick decision to cast a sound barrier spell around his tent, so that your loud laughter wouldn’t disturb your companion’s sleep. You laughed and laughed, collapsing on the floor, and Gale’s cheeks flushed. 

“What is so funny?” Gale had to resist the urge to laugh along with you; your true laugh was highly contagious. Once you calmed down, you pushed yourself up into a seated position, wiping your tears with the back of your hand. 

“You’re-” You couldn’t get through your sentence without snickering. “Youhu’re such a dork.”

“Wha- I will not stand for an attack on my person and my character.” Gale suddenly teleported to you, wrapping both of his arms around your frame. He scribbled across your sides, ribs, hips- anywhere he could reach. You squealed and, arms flailing, fell back into a fit of giggles. 

Despite your ticklish panic, you still had some fight in you. While he was invested in tickling your ribs, a highly sensitive spot, you took the opportunity to tickle him back. You shot a hand up and buried it in the crook of his neck, tickling with purpose. Thankfully, he was ticklish too. 

He immediately scrunched his neck, giggling hard. “O-Ohohoho nohoho you don’t!” He yelped and abandoned tickling you to wrestle with your hands. You grinned triumphantly. 

“You left me no choice,” You wriggled your hand free from his neck and found his side, squeezing repeatedly. Gale giggled louder and gripped your wrist, but this didn’t deter you. 

A tickle fight was on, and Gale was determined to win. There was a war of flailing arms and hands before the wizard emerged victorious. With a sudden burst of strength that was sure to make him sore in the morning, he pulled you down to the floor with him. 

He set you on his lap, using one arm to pin your own arms to your sides. He didn’t hold on too tightly; you could’ve gotten away if you really wanted. He only held on with just enough strength to keep you from tickling him. Now, with his free hand, he kneaded into your hip bone. You lurched forward, giggling loudly, and he put his leg over yours to keep you put. 

“Nahahahaha!” You squeaked as he jumped to your other hip bone. The floodgates were open now as you squirmed in his hold. “Gahahahahle!”

Now, it was his turn to grin triumphantly. He snaked his fingers up your sides, tweaking them with the lightest touch. He nestled his head in the crook of your neck.  “There we are, dearest. Much better.” He chuckled into your skin, which only made you laugh louder. “And, if you won’t say it, I’m happy to do it for you. You,” He scampered up to your ribs, playing them like a piano. “Are,” A hand burrowed into your underarm, earning him yelps and cackles. “Definitely ticklish.”

You didn’t realize it at the moment, but the longer he tickled you, the more you sank into his arms. Soft, playful moments were a rarity, especially given the journey you were on. You’d never, ever say it out loud, but you were enjoying yourself. As smug as he was, Gale was being very gentle. “What do you say, (Y/N)? Do you think we could at least agree on that score?” 

You hid your face with one hand, letting out a squealing laugh when his hand landed on your stomach. “NOHOHOHO!” You returned, laughing loudly, as you squirmed harder in his lap. He prodded into abdominal muscles and held you a little bit tighter. 

“The signs are all there,” He whispered into your ear, teasing you, while he scribbled and poked into your belly. He let go of your arm so that he could use both hands to tickle. You didn’t realize the shift, so you curled into his arms instead of pushing his hands. “There’s the squirming, the squeals, and the laughter, which is quite enchanting…”

You finally grabbed onto his wrists, but still didn’t really stop him. It wasn’t until he gently kneaded his thumbs into the sides of your belly that you finally relented. “OKAHAHAHAY! I’M TIHIHCKLISH, GAHAHALE!”

He immediately stopped, rubbing his palms over your abdomen. “I’m happy we can finally agree on something.” He chuckled. He moved his hands off to the side. “And, I’ll let your cheeky comment slide. What’s more interesting to me is that you had the chance to move my hands, and yet you didn’t. I’m going to make another claim and suggest that you enjoyed yourself.” 

You laid your head against his chest, breathing deeply. “And…if I did?” You tried to sound defensive, but there wasn’t any venom in your words. Gale smiled, resting his palm against your cheek. 

“Then you’d only be more adorable to me, if that’s even possible.” His thumb rubbed along your skin as he took you in. “Gods, you’re beautiful. And that’s laugh- it’s something of the heavens, truly. I could listen to it all night.”

“But not tonight,” You tapped his nose, chuckling. “I’m exhausted.”

“No matter. I’m sure we’ll have many more nights like these to come. If you’d still like to join me, that is.”

You shifted in his lap so you could face him. You grinned. “I think I could make the time. Shall we seal the deal with a kiss?”

“I would love that.” Gale’s smile widened as he leaned into you, and you met him halfway, pressing your lips into his. Maybe it was because you’re both spellcasters, but the kiss was nothing short of magical.

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

hi! so I saw a reddit post a few days ago about a dead aasimar (Omar) who can be found in the House of Healing - but what was interesting is that they said it was *his* wings Balthazar took for Marcus. I always thought they were Aylin's wings; isn't there a line about how Balthazar experimented on her early on, or Isobel reacting to the wings/realizing what Balthazar did, something like that? or did I imagine that? I would love to hear your take on this! (I don't know if I can send links in asks, but it's r BaldursGate3/comments/1gxo0tm/)

Oh, hey! It's Olam the Dead Aasimar Harper, my own personal favourite basically nonexistent NPC to shower with utterly disproportionate levels of attention! He's the guy I brought up in the final part of Moon-chosen, Moon-guided, who Aylin hears about and then really wants to retrieve and give a proper burial to. Entirely because of my aasimar fixation and because I love playing around with Aylin being an aasimar but also absolutely not being a regular aasimar, and how she'd feel about others both like and unlike her.

Olam is indeed the only other aasimar in the game. I love the little story we get told there, via one journal and one note, and one fight against a special animated armour.

The full text of his journal aka "a chilling account of an aasimar Harper's final tendays in the cursed lands" is here, and I find it a really nice bit of writing and an insight into that period - piecing together all these little bits and pieces about what happened to the Thorms and Reithwin and the armies on both sides is my favourite part of the game. Act 2 my beloved.

'All beings should walk free of fear', I was taught. Oh, if only were I granted such a fine fate.

So, Olam is a Harper who fought against Ketheric a century ago, and was there when the curse first happened. He was some kind of spellcaster (his insistence on research and experimentation screams wizard, to me) and he had an affectionate bird familiar called Corvin, presumably a raven. In his experimentation and efforts to lift the shadow curse, he accidentally animated his own armour, which you can fight in that acid pit area. But he ultimately failed, and then he succumbed to the shadows, alone. Tragic stuff, right?

You've activated my trap card! By which I mean I saw that post, saw videos of "you won't believe this NPC you missed!!!" go viral, saw people take it as gospel and start parroting misinformation about a very specific fandom interest of mine again, and got so frustrated I almost started posting WELL ACTUALLY Reddit comments. Horrifying.

Instead I get to ramble here! Thank you so much for providing an excuse (genuinely). It's kind of like the oathbreaker/disowned by her mother nonsense, people just can't seem to leave Aylin alone and let her have any of her actual damn story beats and themes and it grinds my gears. And just like the Child of the Moonmaiden stuff, someone has already added it to the BG3 wiki with zero sources, and now it's spreading like wildfire based on absolutely nothing. What a glorious microcosm of our reality.

Salt aside, thank you for the question! Let me actually answer it, and dig out exactly what is in the game itself.

TL;DR: While nobody looks at the camera and says as much, I'm convinced the wings are Aylin's, and that Balthazar had nothing to do with this guy.

First of all, and my simplest point: regular 5e aasimar don't actually have physical wings. One subtype of them (or, more recently, one of their three once-per-day "transformation" options) gives you this:

You can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing your eyes to glimmer and two luminous, incorporeal wings to sprout from your back.

Two luminous, spectral wings sprout from your back temporarily.

This lasts for a whole minute, and then you have to long rest to do it again. Of course, BG3 plays around with 5e rules and adapts them as needed, and there's no actual BG3 aasimar set of racial abilities implemented in the game. There's only Aylin who has the wings on by default, and there's our wingless boy of the hour, Olam - who is a corpse statted as "Human" if you right-click inspect him, so no help there. The only actual mention that he is supposed to be an aasimar comes from the description of his journal I quoted up there, and from the inspiration popup that some character backgrounds get when you find him (Sage and Acolyte, to be specific).

On a personal note, as a player of aasimar characters who've died by being thrown from great heights after having used up their wings for the day, believe me when I say I am deeply envious of whatever Aylin has going on in the wings department. She makes them appear and disappear in a flash at will and it's very cool. I love it. There's a special graphical overlay of feathers fluttering down all over your screen sometimes when she's around. I am enamoured.

Next, in the Marcus confrontation, Isobel doesn't give any signs of recognising the wings, nor does she comment on them specifically - she's shocked by Marcus' betrayal as he's been with them for a long time and nobody ever suspected a thing. I checked the dialogues/devnotes to see if there's anything else there, and there isn't. It's delicious angst material, certainly, the implications are deeply horrifying, and several people have written about it, me included, in tumblr posts and in fics, so you've probably seen the idea around a bunch. Not in the game itself, though.

Moving on, here's the full text of Balthazar's note you can find in Moonrise, titled "A Little Gift":

Marcus - I assume no explanation is needed for just how rare these appendages are, and I trust you shall make good use of them. You have a golden opportunity to please the General. Do not squander it. Access to the unwilling donor has proven difficult since the harvesting, but if I am afforded the opportunity, I shall pass along your gratitude. B.

This is pretty much it with regards to the wings explicitly. Speak With Dead on Marcus doesn't give anything related to the wings either. The only other thing is a little exchange between Z'rell and Marcus at Moonrise if his mission was a success, part of a series of little dialogues where she keeps rebuffing him and his efforts to get his hard-earned "audience with the General":

Marcus: I am free to do more for the Absolute, Disciple. Anything. Z'rell: Would you cast yourself from the tower-top? Marcus: Of course. I have the Absolute's wings to catch me. Z'rell: Off you go, then. I've always wanted to try those ballistas.

Ah, Z'rell, always a delight.

Now, let's look at the relevant final line in Balthazar's note.

Access to the unwilling donor has proven difficult since the harvesting - Balthazar, the necromancer who makes dead pixie moonlanterns, does not have big problems navigating the shadow curse like the Harpers do. Thus, getting to a corpse in the House of Healing morgue a little ways away from Moonrise is not the access problem he's having, nor is it the bunch of zombies that stalk the place. Rather, it is that Shar is angry at Ketheric who betrayed her for Myrkul and is keeping him and his out of the Shadowfell. I've so often seen people rather bafflingly confused by why Balthazar needs the player's help getting to the Nightsong prison when he's the one who imprisoned Aylin there in the first place, and this is why. He tells you as much himself - for instance when you actually enter the Shadowfell:

Balthazar: It seems Shar bears a grudge against my master, General Thorm, and so sought to prevent me from entering in his name. Luckily, you were the perfect agent in helping me slip past her defences. Now the Nightsong is within reach.

As for the unwilling donor bit, and your question of whether there is a line about how Balthazar experimented on Aylin early on - not really? He calls her "his masterpiece" a bunch and loves objectifying her in very specific and gross ways. There's again no mention of wings specifically, but what they do say is he cut out her tongue at least once before:

Nightsong: Ramblings most unsane. Poor Balthazar, for maggots ate his brain long ago. Balthazar: Hold your tongue, Aylin. Or I'll take it away from you again.

They make it so very easy to hate the guy - and agree with Aylin when she says her "heart lit like a full moon when you struck down that cadaver". Here is all the overworld banter you can hear from them, which fleshes out their relationship a bit more. Shocking spoiler: Balthazar is revolting.

Balthazar: As much as I savour our conversations, it's high time we got started. Nightsong: Do what you will. I cannot prevent you. But you know as well as I, I will come for you. One day. Balthazar: Poor child, so enthralled by gory revenge fantasies. You may find yourself disappointed by reality. Nightsong: Let us find out.

Nightsong: Someone's coming. Another Justiciar, I presume. Balthazar: Do you hunger for more company? Am I not enough to keep you sated? Nightsong: I'd [rather] live a thousand years in solitude than lay my eyes [upon] thy putrid visage again. Balthazar: Only a thousand?

Nightsong: Hatred makes you so hideous, Balthazar. Balthazar: Unkind, Aylin. Unkind and incorrect - I could never hate my masterwork. Nightsong: Perhaps you're right - perhaps you're incapable of feeling at all. Balthazar: Please, Aylin - spare me. Your insults grew tired and shopworn years ago.

Balthazar: How long has it been so far? With my work, time just slips away from me. Nightsong: A hundred years. Balthazar: A mere interlude for the likes of you and I. But nevertheless, perhaps it is time for a new chapter. Nightsong: Do as you will. You can pierce my flesh, but my heart beats on, forever.

There's also a tidbit if you ask Aylin how come all it took to release her from the prison was a friendly hand on her shoulder, and she'll tell you Balthazar "taunted and cajoled" her about how easy it would be to break the spell, if anyone just thought to try. So considering all of this, you bet he'd just love to "pass along gratitude" to Aylin and tell her alllll about how they used her own stolen wings to kidnap Isobel, of all people.

So basically, yeah, Balthazar is the one who's been in the Shadowfell prison most often, before Ketheric's relatively recent turn to Myrkul and Shar barring the way in response. We're given the above general vibes and implications of what he was doing there, and the rest is left up to our own gory imaginations. As Gale put it:

A dismal place for an aasimar to spend her existence. Especially with that necrotic toad for company.

There is no connection between Olam and Balthazar at all in the game, but there is one connection between Balthazar and the House of Healing - a negative one, notably.

You find Olam in the morgue of the House of Healing, which is Malus Thorm's stomping ground. It is his laboratory and research notes you find there, not Balthazar's. Malus complains in those very same notes found there that he gets the dregs of cadavers to experiment and mess around with because his nephew Ketheric is letting his Evil Chancellor Traytor Balthazar get first pick and keep the best for himself.

So no, Balthazar did not experiment on this guy or "harvest" anything. Olam is a fairly regular Harper who we can imagine may have lasted a bit longer in the necrotic curse because as an aasimar he'd presumably have necrotic damage resistance and the ability to cast light. He's been dead for about a century, and that's about it.

Aylin is the one the note clearly points to, and, setting aside all the crunchy mechanical and nitpicky details about who does or doesn't have wings and for how long, on every meta and storytelling and textual and subtextual and thematic and classically tropey level, Aylin is the only relevant person those wings could (and should) have come from. It is evocative, it is part of the chilling tale of her betrayal and captivity and serves to paint a vivid picture of the depths Ketheric and Balthazar have sunk to, as well as make Aylin's immense rage and desire for vengeance all the more visceral - and ultimately satisfying.

[medra-gonbites]

Baldur's Gate 3 Companion Head Canon Music Edition

Ok soooo ! Recently my bestfriend and I wrote and composed a song about BG3 (which we might release one day) and it got me thinking about the Tadfools (as if I don’t already think of them 15 times a day) and imagined what their band would look like and which instruments they would play and thus voilà my rendition:

Karlach | Drums

Look at her and tell me she does not play the drums. She would sometimes have to be asked to stop because she would not notice everyone has stopped playing but her. She just has the proper energy, rhythm, not to mention arms, to rock that drum set and start a solo Whiplash style.

Lae'zel | Harmonica

“What is this shiny rectangle? “whistle metallically” Oh. This sounds… beautiful. Like the screeching of a blade on a sharpening stone, but… Better!” And that’s how Lae’zel picked up on the harmonica, true story, I was the harmonica!

Wyll | Main Vocal and Violin

Yes, Wyll would absolutely sing and dance and become an icon on the Sword Coast. He also plays the violin. I don’t know, maybe it’s the horns, but I could also see Duke Ravengard enrolling him at conservatoire at age 6 to play the violin. He writes most of the lyrics

Shadowheart | Bass and Back-up Vocals

Shadowheart is a bass player. Look at her smoky eyes and her pout: she obviously plays the bass! She matches her nail polish to the colour of her bass (black, purple, white). She is always down to jam and she also provides Wyll with beautiful back up vocals when he needs it. Her timber is quite ethereal as well.

Astarion | Electric Guitar

Astarion has massive rockstar energy. He did try to play with his teeth on more than one occasion but that breaks the strings. He has several guitars, guitar straps, dedicated stage outfits and hundreds of guitar picks (which he does not even use but hoards like a dragon).

Gale | Synthesizer

Gale is a piano player but why constrain himself to a regular piano when he can make it sound like space music. Or any other instrument really. Fender Rhodes with a distortion and reverb to the max? Yes, please. He tried the keytar and while he does like the funkiness of it, he prefers the horizontality of regular synthesizers. I also believe he’d compose a lot of the songs.

Now for the one who are not part of the band but do play an instrument:

Minthara | Band Manager

Sorry I do not see Minthara as a musician. She’d be an amazing band manager or music producer though. If I must attribute her an instrument I would say the harp as she canonically has a lute but I imagine the discipline it takes to learn the harp is quite in character and would be a funny contrast; the angelic sound it makes, opposed to… Well, Minthara.

Halsin | Bansuri

And he made it himself from bamboo or wood. He plays it during his session of guided meditation or when he is alone in the forest. Usually attracts dozens of critters and little animals and it makes him look like a Disney princess (Although he has never seen a Disney film himself.)

Jaheira | Steel Drum

She learned during her hippie phase in college back when she would travel to Puerto Rico and/or Jamaica twice a year. She still has her old steel drum and will take it out if you nag her long enough or if she is in a celebratory mood. She might play it at your LuAu themed birthday party if requested.

Minsc | Triangle

It is the only instrument that he can play. It looks relatively simplistic but it is actually quite tricky to play as it requires great timing and a little bit of technique. Minsc is a natural at both. He likes being part of an orchestra and finds the agitated man with a stick the funniest of all people.

Boo | Church Organ

I have no argument to justify this but the hilarious image of a miniature giant space hamster playing the phantom of the opera on a huge cathedral organ. 

Gortash | Acoustic Guitar (but not really)

Gortash will claim he plays guitar. He will claim it even faster if he is flirting (approximately 2 minutes into the conversation and/or maybe before even asking your name). He, however, does not. What he can do is play one song (wonderwall or alleluia take your pick) that he learned by heart back in highschool specifically to brag at parties and bag dates. In adulthood it works way less.

[eeldritchblast]

Thoughts on Halsin

I want to preface this by saying I don't have anything particularly against Halsin as he is in game. But I do find him lacking in depth, when compared to everyone else.

Even without knowing that he was added as a full companion last minute, I would probably have guessed as much simply because there's not much to him beyond the role he plays in the Shadow-Curse quest of Act 2. This is lampshaded with dialogue about how he himself feels consumed by his determination to end the curse. But to me, that just feels like a cop-out. Imagine any other character looking at the camera and just saying "yeah I know I don't have much character beyond what happens to me in the plot, too bad?"

But I think the worst crime about his lack of development, is the fact that because he doesn't have a lot else going on, he feels a little overly sexualized to me; like he's just there for the player to thirst after because he's this big, bulky man. Now, to be clear, I don't care that he's horny, and I definitely don't care that he's poly. (My GF is a poly lesbian, and honestly I could see myself having more than one romantic relationship , too, if someone else was ever interested in me like that and cool with it.) What I'm trying to say is, because he's lacking in other areas, leaving those traits being of his few you can list, it makes them feel of less value, and makes him feel more like a sex prop. And if you're gonna have a character with rape victim as part of his background like Halsin has, then that's the last thing you want, I think.

So, what more could be done with Halsin?

I once made a joke that someone should draw Halsin in a "Big Auntie Energy" shirt. For those of you who aren't Native, let me try to translate: In most if not all Indigenous Nations, we often call women who are champions of our cultures and communities "Auntie", whether they are actually literally your aunt or not. An Auntie is someone you dearly love, and trust to guide you. Halsin already plays something of a mentor figure to the protagonist—indeed, dev notes even call him "avuncular"—so why not lean into it further by showing what he does for others, too? Pretending that there was more development time allotted, here's what I would've liked to see...

"This place crawls with life, but little of it flourishes. I see refugees, unhoused. The destitute, unwanted. Orphans, unloved. … I wish there was a better way. I wish everyone could see the sun, have a full belly, and know nature as a friend. There is a balance that is yet to be found." —Halsin

After ending the Shadow-Curse, Halsin says he needs to find a new purpose. I feel like his purpose could easily align with his horror of the inequalities of Baldur's Gate. Instead of just talking about how awful it is, why not allow the player to challenge him to try and change things, then? For example, I like to imagine Halsin telling stories to the orphans in Rivington, providing them comfort and someone to look up to. Or another example: Halsin helping out in or maybe starting some kind of charity meal program. It's small, but it's enough to say that he could actually grow a little as a person within the game's story. And it would add at least a little bit of engagement on the player's end as well, instead of feeling like the relationship with Halsin, platonically, is one-sided.

This all doesn't come from nowhere, by the way. If you exclusively romance Halsin, he says goodbye to the player in the end because he is leading a group of people into Thaniel's realm to start a new life. But personally, I feel like this is too great a leap back into an Archdruid role he specifically rejected, because he didn't like it. It also would've been nice to get this kind of dialogue without having to romance him; to know what lies ahead for Halsin as a friend, too.

Now, that's the good ending. But almost all the companions in BG3 have a "good" and "evil" ending. I feel like this really adds a lot of insight into the characters, because they feel real through it; we all have the potential to make good and bad choices, after all. So what could be Halsin's evil-aligned ending? Well, remember when he questions if the Shadow Druids actually have a point? How about giving the player the opportunity to push him further down that path instead... Shadow Druid Halsin, holy shit.

Now, there's one more thing I want to circle back to: Halsin's past. He very casually speaks of his time as a captive in the Underdark. And maybe it was so long ago that he's long dealt with such trauma, but still, I really wish there was a way to say "hey bud, that's really fucked up and I'm sorry that happened to you." But there's not a single dialogue option that allows you to express sympathy, besides just saying "that's awful", which doesn't cut it. Halsin himself says, "sometimes I think people look at me and imagine my feelings can't be hurt." Not allowing the player to be sensitive to his feelings goes exactly against this message not to judge a person's emotions by physical appearances.

Anyway, Halsin is a character that I think has a lot of potential, but doesn't quite reach it in game. I think it's great that he was given a bigger role due to popularity, but I just wish that role was expanded on to the same degree as the other companions.

[galebrainrot2024]

I’m about to learn what the overlap is for Astrology and BG3 - I give to you my takes on the companions Big 3 (Sun, Moon, Rising)! Disclaimer: I did this on vibes alone

A quick break down for those unfamiliar: sun is ego, moon is emotional world both how we process and express emotion, rising is our house of self, how others perceive us., who we fundamentally come across as

Karlach: Taurus Sun, Leo Moon, Sag rising. Starting off strong and easy, girlie is a Sag rising without question, she loves spontaneity, good humor, trying new things, wants to explore and see the world and take it all in. Taurus sun, I think she’s a fairly grounded character and it takes a lot to make her angry - what she is angry about though are long standing grudges where people have done her quite dirty. Provoke the Bull, get the horns. Leo moon: she wants to illuminate and shine her optimism and love onto others. Has great hair, strong sense of humor, bold, a flair for the dramatic.

Gale: Pisces sun, Libra moon, Taurus rising. I had a surprisingly hard time with him. I think he’s a March Pisces specifically. He is a little delulu and has a huge imagination as well as capacity for empathy, humanitarianism. Romantic. Plus, baby cow eyes. Big water sign energy there. Taurus Rising: our boy is quite stubborn and enjoys a bit of lavishness from time to time. Conjures a bed instead of sex on the grass. The five senses matter a great deal to him - Taurus is ruled by Venus after all and is a very sensual sign. Great cook. The moon I struggled with and ultimately think he’s a Libra moon. He craves intellectual stimulation, strong people pleasing tendencies and also values relationships and partnerships. Very romantic. Libra moons thrive and seek out partnerships and as it’s an air sign, is also very intellectually driven and aroused by intelligence/harmony/beauty in all forms (arts, food, people)

Astarion: Cancer sun, Scorpio moon, Capricorn rising. No further questions your honor. In all seriousness, nothing screams moody, sarcastic vampire like Scorpio and cancer. Capricorn because of the restriction imposed upon him. All of these placements are really sweet to their people, everyone else.. well.. just keep your distance, darling

Shadowheart: Gemini Sun, Capricorn Moon, Scorpio rising. Girl is secretive and emo as heck, and emotionally cold and distant (AT FIRST!) Capricorn moons hold their cards close to their chest as do all Scorpio placements. Gemini for her fluctuating nature, enjoys talking, is a chameleon in many respects. Needs intellectual stimulation and likes the back and forth, can be a playful person

Lae’zel: Aries sun, Aqua Moon, Aries rising. As far as I’m concerned, she is the pinnical of Aries: head-strong, straightforward (sometimes at the expense of others), courageous, short tempered and outwardly aggressive as opposed to Scorpio or cap aggression which is more subtle. Lae’zel says what she means and means what she says. Impulsive. Can rub people the wrong way and is ultimately a lovey, soft hearted character once you get passed the sandpaper attitude. Aqua moon because they are humanitarian and look at the bigger picture, less squishy about their emotions yet have strong feelings. Tendency to Intellectualize emotions.

Wyll: Libra rising, Pisces moon, Sag sun. Sag because Wyll has a strong sense of duty and purpose, yet it’s coupled with a strong sense of freedom and zest for life. Expansive. Libra rising because he’s a good conversationalist, enjoys the arts and finer things, wants harmony and Justice, tries his best to avoid strong conflicts when he can. Pisces moon because I think our boy is so sweet and soft internally, and thinks and feels deeply about everything. Can feel misunderstood.

Bonus: (descriptions to come later if desired!)

Halsin: Gemini sun, Taurus Moon, Cancer rising

Minthara: Aqua Sun, Virgo Moon, Capricorn rising

Minsc: Leo sun, Gemini moon, Taurus rising

Jaheira: Capricorn sun, Cancer moon, Leo rising

[laurelnose]

Forgive my desperate urgency but you are The Person whose opinion I must have on this topic-- I don't know very much about D&D and especially not about dragonborn, I am only in the BG3 fandom for Vibes, but this came up as of course it did because I'm me--

DO DRAGONBORN HAVE GIZZARDS

please we must discuss this

A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION DESERVING OF SERIOUS CONTEMPLATION

So dragonborn are descended directly from chromatic/metallic/gem dragons in some way (the exact way is a point of theological contention). The difference between those three dragon types is, to the best of my limited knowledge, not germane to the discussion. I will consider dragons as a single category.

Dragons are definitely not reptiles. They are warm-blooded and they act like cats. I do not actually think the cat thing is relevant to them being reptiles or not, Forgotten Realms wiki, but thank you anyways. So they are not like crocodiles, but are they like birds? Probably not. Although they did evolve from proto-dragon species which were among the few survivors of the cataclysm that killed the dinosaurs. Much like birds! (Or maybe they were created by the gods. Whatever. I’m not getting into a Faerûnian creationism debate. Anyways, in this context only, por qué no los dos.)

Dragons are preferentially carnivorous, but functionally omnivorous, with an emphasis on the omni. They can eat and digest just about anything, including inorganic materials. This ability is because of their “innate elemental nature”, which kind of makes me think dragons don’t really have digestive systems as we know them. They’re more like great primordial engines. I think this precludes gizzards in the dragons themselves — how would they get stones in their gizzards if their digestive system can break down stone? What would they even use them for? So if dragonborn have gizzards, they did not get them from the dragons.

Dragonborn do not seem to usually be capable of regularly digesting rocks, so if they swallow inorganic matter it should stay where it’s put. Baby dragonborn are born toothless and are fed by a lactating parent (dragonborn → monotremes??) until they grow teeth, and then are graduated through soft foods up to regular food (consisting of much more meat than your average humanoid). They are capable of digesting non-meat foods, but it doesn’t look like they have the dentition to chew non-meat foods. Which is why birds of just about all diets have gizzards — they don’t got no teeth! I’m going to go with either dragonborn have trouble eating vegetarian meals, as they have no grinding molars, or they do have gizzards. Courtesy of whatever primeval force or deity created them, maybe.

I also considered whether, if dragonborn are normally gizzardless, the Dark Urge specifically might have been created with special dietary capabilities, but you don’t need a gizzard for, say, osteophagy. (Notably, the only primarily osteophagous bird, the bearded vulture, has lost its gizzard.) And I feel like the other things animals use gizzards to digest are not quite On Theme, as it were. However, they might possibly, like bearded vultures, have a hardened, partially keratinized digestive lining for dramatic osteophagy (involving sharp broken-off pieces of bones).

On a different hand, dragonborn manifest draconic abilities at different levels, ranging from different or multiple breath weapons, dragonfear, or abilities from Bahamut or Tiamat. I wonder if some dragonborn, maybe those with particularly strong breath weapons (since the breath weapons are formed from elemental energy produced by dragons’ unique diets), might also manifest the ability to Just Eat Fucking Rocks. Not a glamorous ability! But very fun I think! Possibly more fun for dragonborn which do not natively have gizzards, as having a sort of elemental furnace in their belly instead of a stomach would then enable them to more comfortably eat food like salads.

On another totally different hand, polymorphed dragons (or not polymorphed, if you’re not a coward) are supposed to be able to hybridize with most of the humanoids, producing children that may take after either or both parents, and aarakocra and kenku are Right There. I mean, not in BG3, but, y’know. Half-dragons and dragonborn are different, but still interesting.

Also, dragons in the Forgotten Realms taste like turkey. I don’t know what you can do with this information but I feel like you would enjoy knowing it

[alpaca-clouds]

Trying to figure the Gale and Mystra thing out

Reading into the entire lore of the Forgotten Realms, I am still trying to figure out the timeline for Gale. Because that timeline kinda runs into the issue that Mystra has died two times during the last about 100 years.

Now, let me make this one clear at the beginning again: Mystra in regards to Gale is a fucking groomer and just a shitty person, and we stand tall in the "fuck Mystra" camp. Buuuuut... I still am trying to figure this one out, because it might also relate to Gale's age - and how young he was, when Mystra chose him.

Alright. Let me talk a bit about Mystra.

The quickest rundown is the following: When Shar and Selûne were at their usual battling, their energies interacted and created a new goddess: Mystryl, the goddess of magic. And as we know from the game: Karsus did his thing, tore apart the weave and through it destroyed Mystryl. But somehow the weave started to gather around a "peasant girl" (who never was named) from the Netherese Empire, who after this ascended to become Mystra and as Mystra managed to restore the weave.

Now, Mystra got involved in the bullshit that is usual for the gods in this world. The Faerûnian pantheon is very much based in the Greek gods, which really shows with them. There is a lot of inter-god drama, politics, backstabbing and also procreating with unsuspecting mortals. Something that Mystra was apparently quite prolific at.

Which gets me to Mystra's deaths. Because she died two times within a short time.

In 1358DR the gods were banished from their realm by Ao, with the exception of Helm who was made to guard the stair between the realms. While banished from the realm, Mystra was captured and tortured by Bane. However, fearing something like this might happen, she had entrusted some of her power to a human mage named Midnight. So, Midnight and her party went to rescue Mystra. However, Mystra was very weakened and needed to return to the realm of the gods. But Helm wouldn't let her pass, leading the two to battle. Which ended with Mystra dead.

However, as mentioned, Mystra had enthrusted Midnight with some of her power. And probably because of this, the weave then started to work around Midnight, who soon awakened as the reborn Mystra. Yet, one of Midnight's former party members, Cyric, saw a chance to ascend himself and murdered her. This was in 1385DR.

Those two deaths one after another lead to the Spellplague (aka, magic didn't work how it used to). And only in 1479DR Elminster was the one to find that Mystra had in fact survived, though she was severely weakened.

Now, BG3 takes place in 1492, so 13 years after this. So, we do know that Gale could not have been with Mystra for longer than that.

The next question would be, how old Gale is. I would put him in his early 30s. So, he was probably around 20 years old, when Mystra chose him (aka started grooming him).

This does put a lot more reason behind Gale's decision to absorb the orb. Because the ressurected Mystra was very much weakened and not fully connected to the weave. So, he would probably have done this because of that.

But this also kinda makes me wonder, how all of that played out. Given Mystra's very weakened state.

[thedomesticanthropologist]

Hey there... I'm terribly angry about something big and outside of my control at the moment. Could you let me know what you'd think the BG3 companions do if Tav started self destructing? Like Tav passing harsher judgments, snapping at neutral NPCs, or fighting more dangerously and recklessly with bad guys?

Ah, I know this feeling very well! For the purposes of it's easier to write, "Tav" will be replaced with "you" in this. Also helps with immersion imho

Karlach: recommends you scream. Really. Big cathartic screams, into Clive maybe just incase you don't want to bring too much attention nearby. Taking out your rage in battle is great, but only if you live through it - reckless can get you killed, alao letting out that rage in a primal scream is a good way to let it all out and return to focus

Gale: tells you to sit with him, gives you a quill and ink and an empty journal. If you sigh and refuse or get mad, he insists. "The thoughts in your head cannot get out - even talking it through doesn't always help, or maybe there's no one to talk to about this," his gaze softens,

"But writing it down gets it out. With purpose. And you can burn it afterward if you don't want the evidence. Just give it a try. The brain to hand to paper connection creates a flow of energy that can help settle the raging waters of your heart."

Un-romanced Astarion: becomes your cheerleader and encourages your reckless and snappy behavior (sorry but 😂 he's a little rat man)

Romanced astarion: reassures you that you are not alone in this, and he doesn't want you getting yourself (or him) killed through self destruction. He stays up at night with you when you can't sleep, reminds you that the most important thing you can do is survive because one day this will be behind you and you'll want to be here for that.

Shadowheart: chats with other companions about it before talking to you. Tries to take some chores off your hands, offers to split a bottle of wine by the campfire. Shares a little about herself (what she can remember) in order to bond and help you feel less alone

Lae'zel: suggests you spar until you are too tired to lift your arms and your legs shake and you cannot possibly carry on. And then sleep, sleep, sleep. When you wake up, she is standing there 'five laps around the clearing and then we jump in the lake. Refreshing. You will do this.'

Wyll: steps in to smooth things over when needed, spends more attention to watching your back in battle, makes sure you've eaten, and always has a bright, cheery quote or catchphrase to try to brighten your day

[forgeofthenine]

I also wish to simp over the tieflings😁

So I have a question for you. In your opinion, which would be the fittest class for being each tieflings batchelor partner?

My best friend and I were playing bg3 yesterday (both sipping for Dammon so the conversation was more focused on him) and the question came out.

My bf defended that for our fav blacksmith a paladin would be the best option for going on a date. Cause they're usually loyal to their beliefs, tend to have a kind nature and they're always in need of good armor and weapons. It was paladin for her.

But I differ. I firmly believe that a nice ✨Bard✨ would be the correct answer. And here's why:

1. Dammon is a kind, polite and (probably) organised soul. Most bards have chaotic energy. I believe that a bard partner would be a nice influence on him and vice-versa. He calming his partner when they get too overexcited and them trying to get him out of his comfort zone.

2. They're both artists in a way. I think that a bard would admire and see the beauty in Dammon's job. Maybe even getting curious about it, ask him questions and see him work. He would be so happy. And also Dammon would admire and enjoy the Bard's music, singing, drawing, etc. (whatever bardic gift you got people, it doesn't matter to him. He'll love it)

3. We all know Dammon reads smut and I sincerely cannot picture a more smut reading class than a bard. Like I can perfectly see the scene of the bard discovering "A pleasurable deal" (I think that's the name of it, if not I apologise) and being totally chill about it, read a few pages with all the calm in the world and Dammon finding them out, grabbing the book terribly ashamed of it... Just to see them mock him a little bit to finally say "Hey and if when you finished with it you need any recommendations I have a few that might interest you". (Insert all the fantasy young adult with spice novels here)

And finally but not last:

4. (And this is a more personal one) I have the personal belief that if you play a bard you are personifying the need of a traumatised being who always tries to feel better through music and a charismatic behaviour while being in need of a found family even if you're in denial. I might be wrong, it might be me who plays bards this way but it's just a single theory I have.

But guess what, we're having a Bard here. And what better option to have a family with than Dammon.

I REST MY CASE! THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

🤣🤣🤣But really, I would like to hear your opinion on this debate. If you had to choose what would it be and why?

(All classes are equally nice and fitting, no hate here to any of them👌🏻)

I know that this got long ah so thanks for reading it. I love your blog and I hope that everything goes perfectly well on your day-to-day. Byeee!!💛💛💛💛

🎻- Anon

This is actually a very fun question because I've never actually thought about matching people based on classes.

I agree with both of you that either a paladin or a bard would definitely work well with Dammon thematically. However, I raise the option of him being with an artificer. While I love opposites attract tropes, Dammon is a fiercely proud and passionate man, his dedication to his work is enough to scare off almost anyone. So, who would work best with such a wonderful but independent man? Someone who understands his thinking on a fundamental level. An artificer that knows what it is to be an artisan, to dedicate yourself to 'making', to spend late nights working on various blueprints. I just feel like he'd work well with someone that understands him and doesn't fault his dedication to his work.

For Zevlor, I'm a big supporter of the Zevlor x cleric idea. I feel like as a paladin, having him with a cleric just works so well thematically. He's a paladin who believes himself to be disgraced and what's better to help 'bring him back to the light' and support him other than someone else that understands his relationship with his patron god and his intense need to protect everyone. It's easier to accept help from someone that you feel understands your issues, and I feel like being with a cleric just really suits Zevlor.

Rolan with a sorcerer. That's it. Imagine the sass, the cat fights, the endless bickering before they even realise they're attracted to each other. Rolan definitely does the whole 'sorcerors just can't control their magic and tried to make it a thing', specially with a wild magic user. It never quite ends either, even after years of seeing each other Cal and Lia still walk in on their little sarcasm spats. I don't feel like there's a deeper reason to this, other than the fact I feel like Rolan had very little guidance in learning magic (much like a sorcerer might) and is doing a bit of light projection to start with.

So here's my humble opinions, I'd love to hear everyone else's and I hope everyone is having a lovely day <3

[robogart]

man, you get some nasty anons! im curious— why choose to respond? wouldnt making that kind of negativity public go against the positive view of fat people youre creating? :O like, wouldnt a follower of yours that really sees themself in your art feel kinda shitty seeing someone else bash it for that? either way, love your art! your use of textures often comes to mind for me when im drawing my own stuff <3

I answered a similar ask to this already! But to add another note to it, I guess I just don't always feel like rolling over? If I see it and I have the energy/want, then I'll respond to it because it's a rude thing to say and I don't stand for it. Somedays I'll ignore or delete it, other days I'll respond. I'm currently finding myself a bit too hyper-focused on responding to this recent influx - so here we are.

I've had this sort of suggestion like yours sent to me multiple times - this idea of "don't respond because you're going to make your followers who look like your art feel bad." Have you ever considered that I, myself, look like my artwork? That me, a fat person, can make artwork of fat people? Can I not cultivate a positive space while also addressing negative responses - or do I just need to only post my work and not have an opinion or a reaction that might be critical or "negative" or in defense of myself? If someone came and spat in your face, would you just not retaliate?? Truly?

I absolutely encourage followers I have that do not want to see messages like this to either block the tags I'm using on this recent string of asks (I made a post on this and to remind, the tag is "bg3 response") OR to simply scroll past, since we all do have that power.

These responses are hardly the first or last and, surprisingly, there are some that I have deleted and ignored - but this sort of pseudo-guilt-tripping ask type is really unneeded, and I'm addressing it here because I've received it multiple times - so hopefully this helped shed some more insight on your question.

[mournmeal]

Good evening my mourning doves! I’m in the market for some longterm roleplay partners / friends for Baldur’s Gate 3! Please read it all to avoid confusion BEFORE reaching out. If this all sounds good to you then feel free to message me! I won’t bite. …. I’ll bite you if you ask. THE VOICES. Sorry it was my demons.

Also wanted to add just in case this may apply to someone’s interest, if you are seeking for a Tav ( or Durge ) to write with, are fine with them being a woman and you are wanting to write Astarion ( Spawn or Ascended ), Raphael, Haarlep, any of them you can also reach out to me!

( And for anyone who finds this and recognizes me, I promise to work on your reply early tomorrow or at some point tonight. )

ABOUT MYSELF :

• I’m 24 and you can call me Asta. Any pronouns are fine by me.

• I will only write with adults who are 20 and will gladly accept older. Please do respect this boundary.

• I’d say my style is Multiple Paragraph Novella. A sucker for details and tend to get carried away when enjoying the roleplay. No need to match length, but do give me something to work with. I write in third person.

• Currently unable to work, but have intentions to work from home. Though this means I will be very active. And at ungodly hours …

• I have decided to no longer be ghost friendly. This goes for myself and others. So, to avoid wasting handing out my discord I’d prefer we feel each other out before that exchange. If I get busy with anything I will properly give a heads up. Should I be away for a long period of time.

• I am comfortable writing mature content ( whether that be dark themes. containing violence, blood, dead dove, to smut. ) However I do not want mainly smut focused roleplays. And I do not want to be thrown in head first into smut. Rich Plot with smut my beloved. THOUGH we can still make nsfw headcanons whenever we please.

WHAT I OFFER :

• A longer term writing partner and friend. I’d love to vibe with you ! Match each other’s energy. I don’t want the connection to be transactional. Let’s bond over our silly little game with our silly little characters.

• Love writing OC x CC. And would love to hype up the ship of your Tav / Durge with the character you want.

• Currently accepting double ups! I am more than happy to play any origin character you desire. Or any other characters. Examples being Rolan, Raphael, Haarlep, you get the idea.

• Parings can be MxM. FxF. FxM. NBxF. NBxM. Whatever! This is a safe space. Trans Tavs/Durges are always welcome!

• Me being absolutely down bad for your Tav / Durge. I will hype that babe up like my life depends on it. If you can’t tell, I adore when people create their own characters and give them lore. Flood me with pictures of them, with your headcanons, ALL OF IT. I crave sustenance. Me having to resist the urge of saying our Tav’s should kiss.

• We can have our own little discord server to send moodboards, headcanons, music, videos edits, and the list goes on. Let’s gush over our characters and ships like insane friends do. Literally. Go crazy. I will chime right in any hour. … As long as I’m not napping.

• I enjoy sprinkling other characters into my writings to really help set the scene or add some more depth / detail to our storyline. So if we end up in a situation where they are needed or if we just want them there from time to time for plot - I can do that.

• Also? If you have BG3 on computer WE SHOULD PLAY IT TOGETHER SOMETIME. Let’s go create mass chaos. But be warned I do encourage trying to fight everything.

WHAT I’D LIKE :

• Honestly damn near everything I already stated above. LMFAO.

• Longterm writing partners / friends only. Consistency will be important. As I’m also going to try and be that way too. So if you know you ghost don’t bother.

• I’d like to write as my Tav / Durge who is a female. ( I plan to make more with various gender identities for other runs! And sexualities. This one is pansexual.)

• For her love interest in think maybe Astarion? ( Spawn or Ascended. ) Raphael? Haarlep? My answer may change depending on my muse at the moment so who knows. ( You can still want for me to write as them for you! )

• Would love for our Tav’s / Durge’s to interact! Love making headcanons for them. Creating a dynamic for them.

• Anyone who wants to write dark themes here and there! Dead dove is allowed! We just need to discuss it of course for each other’s comfort. Eat up whatever drama we want going on.

• Speaking of drama. Should you want some where some other character seems to have eyes for your Tav / Durge to get some jealous action … I will fuel that fire. As I’ve said before. We can go crazy. It’s roleplay, let’s have fun!

• Let’s make moodboards, throw / bounce headcanons, share music, create au’s even, whatever we want.

• If anything else comes to mind I’ll throw it here or in our messages. But yes. Message me if interested!! Look forward to meeting you!

[animentality]

So I’ve been scrolling through the Durgetash tag and wtf.

First I’m fcking heartbroken that my Durge will not experience the moment of finding the letter/s to Franc in it’s original form or at all(?)

And THEN I FIND queerphobic posts and insane comments about Gortash “definitely not” being queer or “just having had a “business relationship” with Durge..? Even tho there’s enough evidence✨

Now… remember when we all adored Astarion and then more and more ppl started joining the tags, groups whatever and now it’s a whole toxic mess that you cannot scroll thru without getting a headache? (It’s sad the magic of it all is kinda dare I say gone.. I just look at it/him idk different, involuntarily at that, but I’m glad that Durgetash is giving all that back in insane amounts that let’s my adhd feet kick in dopamine fully-sated energy *incoherent babbling*)

I think the same is (bhaal forbid) maybe swapping over to Durgetash and I’m scared … cuz this, here… what y’all create! (art, hc’s, stories & just fun post’s overall) is so fxking special and so lovely🌷

And I really fxing hope that the ppl at bg3/larian have a REALLY good reason to *cough cough* meddle in each other’s I MEAN OUR affairs, when we already barely have anything, WHAT WAS THE REASON– just why, there’s enough bugs and crashes or other stuff that needs tending WHY TAKE AWAY?!

Good day and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and without sugarcoating anything ❤️

I hope a build-a-bear lil dragon or whatever appears outta nowhere for you, that says stuff when you squeeze too hard (just like Durge–) like “ah my favorite bhaalspawn/ my favorite assassin” :)

First off, I hear that some people still see the letter, and others do not. Apparently, it's SUPPOSED to have replaced it, but some people just have computers that are built different, I guess. So you might possibly see it. Not sure.

As for if toxicity is spilling into the Durgetash fandom...maybe? I don't know. We were all pretty civil. I admit, I lost my cool for a minute there, but to be FAIR TO ME, I have not STARTED anything with anyone in literal years.

This was someone sending ME a reply that really pissed me off with its biphobia, like, absolutely ticked me off in one foul swoop.

But for the most part, it's not THAT Combative. But this note changing HAS divided people quite a bit.

So I don't know.. I want to believe durgetash and gortash love are still not mainstream enough to maintain the levels of toxicity that astarion fans seem to cultivate like horticulture.

We'll see.

As for why they changed it...I don't know?

Really seems odd. Maybe they didn't like the tone of it.

Truthfully, as much as I love that note for just being so out of pocket and weird, I admit it's more in character for Gortie to be a more serious guy...but honestly?

It's the fucking game's fault that they made Gortash a boring villain. They FORCED us to cling to his every note. To read more into his interactions with the Dark Urge.

To love that one iconic letter from him.

So they can't walk back on their weirdness....unless....they're planning on....expanding his role....

O.o

We'll see on that too.

Anyway. Thanks for the ask and glad I can entertain! By being an asshole! And a lunatic!

I NEED a Gortash plushie to keep my Dark Urge company!!!

If anyone knows where I can get one, I need that ASK or DM.

[grievedifferent]

why do women make him uneasy? in reality, wouldn't he feel more comfortable with women because of his sisters?

simply put: josh is intimidated by women, particularly women like emily and jessica. that's pretty obvious to me as i play it, and i'll go over why. do i think he acts like he's intimidated? no, i think he plays it cool, but in a one-on-one? it's probably pretty awkward.

so ... to actually answer that first set of two questions: yes and no. i did consider this as a factor, the whole sister thing, and i think his relationship before the prank with sam also indicates he's pretty "friendly with women", but i think it's like ... a family way of being friendly.

off the cuff, he'll tend to gravitate towards anyone with "bro" energy. ashley sort of gets this weird pass of being associated via chris, so she sort of just snuck in past that vibe. ashley also is more the bookish type on paper, so i think there's that aspect. he sees more level with her. he also (at least by his prank's standards, which is following how he generally acts to not raise suspicion) seems to really want chris to seal the deal with ashley, so i think that's a specific circumstance if that makes sense?

bringing us here: he's comfortable with hannah, beth, and sam outright. then ash, as we've discussed. i would say he's likely not as comfortable with emily or jessica. they're much stronger personalities, which we see in the way that josh never directly interacts with just them. he tends to default to mike or matt or both parties in the conversation over just directly addressing emily or jessica independently.

this is also likely because of simply saving game time. they had to cut corners somewhere, just being realistic. until dawn isn't made to be a game that's bg3 length, it's meant to be a replayable game that you could probably do in a night. that's why we see what we see, that's why the matt and emily content wasn't really seen by the fandom when it was released as "true dlc" and more just "needed content that should have been there" (and now is in the remake).

[cryptid-crafted]

oh lawd, the cryptid's craftin'

Hey-ho, writeblr! After some life upheaval and major goal/process restructuring, I'm back (if the profile picture looks familiar, you've got good eyes - I used to be @/goinggremlin).

The Basics:

Alex (he/they)

Late 20s, Midwest USA

Trans man, aroace, AuDHD

On Writing:

My genres: fantasy, horror, sci-fi, occasional contemporary fiction

My influences: Tamsyn Muir, Mark Lawrence, Joe Abercrombie, Robin Hobb, Martha Wells, Yasuhiro Nightow

My favorite themes/tropes/topics/etc: death and rebirth; found family and queerness; "this shit sucks but we stay silly"; body horror; characters with guard dog vibes; "it's rotten work" / "not to me. not if it's you"; banter and witty comedy, esp. as a juxtaposition to The Horrors; trauma and its cycles; shitty people doing shitty things; grumpy (with a heart of gold) x sunshine (with a soul black as night); 2nd person POV

About Me:

I am NOT a writer with any formal training - I'm self-taught, but always interested in learning.

I've been writing consistently for nearly seven years now. I started with fanfiction and over the last year and a half have begun transitioning to more original work.

I'm really bad at interacting consistently, as most of my limited energy goes toward writing. I love sharing resources and prompts, however, and will more often participate in ask games than tag games ❤️ Community is important but I'm most often found on the fringes.

I won't post large chunks of WIP often, because I am slow (but also like privacy during drafting). I will post fun snippets of dialogue or description because I crave validation and am unashamed about admitting that.

I love swapping tips and tricks, or just generally talking about the writing process!

You can also find me on my more fan-focused blog, @thechaoscryptid! I'm a firm believer that transformative work is a valid (even necessary) part of the creative world. You may (will) hear about some of my fanwork on this blog in the context of craft or process.

Published works:

Wintersong (Many Hands, Duck Prints Press, 2024)

It Watches (Cryptid Carols To Sing In the Dark, Memento Vivere Press, 2024 - upcoming)

WIPs:

in that bright and bitter dawn (fantasy novel)

Behind the Blog:

In addition to writing, you'll also hear about cooking and knitting and cat parenting, oh my! I've been passionate about food since I could pick up a knife; knitting is a recent but rewarding hobby I pick at when I need something to do with my hands.

I have three cats (Shino, Rorschach, and Chaos) and two snakes (Jormungandr and Oda).

I work third shift (at a book warehouse!) and am usually pretty brain/pain foggy, so if I space on an ask or tag game...it's not you, it's me.

I fandom hop SO much, largely around the anime scene (Trigun, Naruto, SK8: the Infinity, BNHA, Bungou Stray Dogs...so many more...). I'm also a huge BG3 and FE:3H enthusiast, even though video games aren't usually my go-to.

This year I've been plowing through a lot of fantasy and sci-fi books that I hope to be able to sit down and write down my thoughts about!

I'm also a huge music enthusiast, and listen to a lot of metal and folk music. Favorite bands include (but are definitely not limited to) Sabaton, Fish In A Birdcage, Autoheart, Faun, Delain, and Port Sulphur Band.

That's about it! My ask box is always open (my DMs are not, unless specifically invited please), and I'm looking forward to dipping my toes into the writeblr waters once again.

[sky-kiss]

Less of an ask and more of a thanks really, I love your writing, I love your Raph and I think I love whats going on in your brain (regarding writing at least) I had lost my joy in FF for a while really, but BG3 rekindled it greatly and you had no small part in that. So I guess just thanks for being one of my favourite blogs atm and I hope you find all the energy, motivation and inspo to keep going <3 (we need more horrible weird creature men from video games tbh)

Well, thank you so much! That's so lovely of you to say!

Raphael has really, really, been such a great source of inspiration. I was in the same boat. I hadn't written much of anything, and certainly hadn't been involved in FF for years before BG3. And like, thank you, I'm so glad to hear that you've enjoyed it.

And thank you! I'm donna do my dang best. These stupid idiots are just too much fun to write. So...gonna keep making myself y'alls problems.

(And we absolutely do. We need more weird creature men. Please. I'm out here begging lol). Have the absolute best day!