#with halsin... it's something else

[imaginary-wanderer]

I know Halsin was supposed to be an NPC, but they really made his romance storyline the hardest to achieve. All the other characters almost jump on you for being a basic person for a bunch of days, but Halsin? You have to work to get him and I read you can even lose him just by changing location at some advance point of the game.

For this second playthrough, I hesitated between romancing him again or going for Gale... but since Gale won't share (and Halsin is more than happy to lol), I went for the bear once again. Sorry Gale, but you have a very good Tiefling friend.

[belierdigitalis]

Damn, sorry daddy 🤐

[waterdeepthroat]

I am actually having so many thoughts about bg3 characters when it comes to body image bc themes of bodily autonomy are just so present in this game

[transkingcobra]

Halstarion idea?

Astarion, newly realizing he can stand up for his boundaries and have them respected. Figuring out what they are, but firstly taking the time to step away from sexual intimacy completely so he can start fresh when he’s ready

Halsin, not being a part of those conversations, confessing to Astarion, who somewhat recoils at the idea of “feeling your skin against mine.” Quickly giving Astarion the space to think it over, take it slow if he wishes to try, they should both be comfortable and want all aspects of whatever the two of them get up to. Or he can simply say no and they remain friends.

Astarion not hating the idea of being with Halsin, actually coming to enjoy him being a part of the camp, but of course worried not wanting sex, at least for now, wouldn’t be enough. But also the bear’s words sounded genuine and he’s a kind, patient soul. He would probably be the one of all of them to be able to wait for Astarion.

So he tests the waters, a conversation stumbling over his thoughts and concerns and known current boundaries. It’s uncomfortable, it’s awful, but Halsin seems to understand what he means by it all. Hopefully he does. Astarion will be more than upset if he just went through that only for such vulnerability to burn him.

But it doesn’t. Halsin gives him space. Lets Astarion come to him. Lets him initiate gentle touches, doesn’t push conversation, especially doesn’t push topics Astarion deflects. Lets Astarion open up as he’s comfortable, giving him the space to grow in himself, and see if that truly does leave him growing towards Halsin.

Halsin even lets him feed, his idea. Astarion becomes used to Halsin’s warmth, feeling close to someone without pressure of anything more. They become near inseparable as Astarion finds his safety in the warmth of the bear.

Cazador is defeated and Astarion is…numb. Terrified and excited and…it’s over. Centuries of torment are finally, officially over. Everything is a lot yet nothing. He doesn’t go to Halsin right away that night. He’s too caught up in his thoughts and drained from the emotional toll of the day.

For once Halsin goes to him, just a check-in. Astarion can keep to himself if he needs, the bear just wants to make sure he’s doing okay.

Astarion decides to take Halsin to the graveyard, visit his tombstone. Now that the day has settled and he had time to himself, having that big druid with him again, he’s ready to try living again. And Halsin will happily help him figure out whatever that means for him.

[waterdeep-weavemoss]

i really, genuinely mean this, but if halsin were to hug me i'd burst into tears

[harellan]

my (maybe) unpopular bg3 opinion is that caving to fan demand and making minthara recruitable via knock out was a bad decision.

[improper-use-of-mystran-rituals]

I'm so normal about these two (I'm not)

The ref comes from here

(psst: you can find the nsfw version here 👀)

[vampcaprisun]

planning out a new tav who's eventually going to be with halsin and i can't decide if i want him to also romance astarion yet. i think they'd work really well together, but i've heard that if you romance someone else alongside halsin, they don't give you the chance to go with him at the end and i wanted this tav to be able to do that. at this point i'm just way too indecisive to choose.

[pinkyjulien]

THATS SO HGEZHUGUH WHO ARE THEY.....

[invinciblerodent]

getting a little bit obsessed with my "cottagecore throuple" here, because the more I think about it, the more disgustingly perfect and idyllic the whole thing is to me.

like... post-game, I like to imagine Shadowheart absolutely thriving. She's a city girl with a deep love for animals, and spotty- to nil memories, most of which are of the worst things to have ever happened in a dank torture-basement: of course a sweet, picturesque forest cottage (so far I like to think that Petyr would call it "The Hovel", even though it's by all means a cozy, nice hunter's lodge) would have her downright giddy, and she deserves every ounce of that happiness ever.

As I imagine it, when not enthusiastically learning all there is to learn about the quasi-self-sustaining life (that she had dropped herself into by shacking up with a literal forest ranger), she spends as much time outside as possible: walks barefoot in the tall grass, stops to smell every flower (and even plants quite a few, just by the vegetables), and lays in the soft underbrush for hours at a time- enjoying the sunlight caressing her face, enjoying a nice novel (and/or a cuddle with Scratch, the cub, or her boyfriend once he sits down for a moment), or just gazing up at the moon and stars in silent worship. She makes friends with every animal that crosses her path, too: SO many potions of animal speaking are consumed, it's absurd. (She's best friends with the chickens. Petyr has to start farming acorn truffles in the basement for her, and that even proves actually very lucrative- in town, that shit sells for like 10-20 gold a pop.)

She'd of course bring home everything that'll let her. Little wildflower bouquets and stuff at first, but also every critter: from juvenile racoons just weaned from their mothers (they look almost like kittens! how cute!), to elderly foxes that just want to curl up in front of the fire and warm their bones somewhere safe for a moment. She's having the time of her goddamn life, she's learning a shitton of life skills she was never taught (finally learning things not meant to make her better at hurting people!), and generally enjoying a life that, while still plagued by remnants of the past (night terrors, perpetrator trauma, loss, grief, pains both suffered and inflicted, all that great stuff), has her feeling actually content with her lot in it.

And with all this, Petyr is... very business as usual, or at least he's trying to pretend that he is. Having someone in what was his space for like 20 years is strange initially, but if there's one thing he's used to, it's adapting. Making things work. (Plus, he's like, happy, or whatever. In love. You know, that sort of rot.)

Then again, he's also used to only having to feed himself with the very little he has, not another (especially another who is inexperienced at this type of thing, and a second another who just... drops by sometimes, always unannounced and unexpected, but never unwelcome), which deep down does have him a bit (a lot) more antsy about not just being the self-appointed guardian of her happiness, but also just... their general survival.

He's keenly aware that winters in the wild are never especially easy, not when you're so far removed from the safety of a community- especially not the way he's used to being alone, without even magic to keep you warm and safe. Usually, he spends most of the year primarily occupied by preparing for winter, and even like that, there have been lean years: years when he got snowed in for tendays, when he did something stupid and all the careful prep went down the shitter, years he had to go hungry and learn to make do with next to nothing.

So he compensates for- (and distracts himself from-) that anxiety by making extra sure that the pantry is stocked to bursting with all the goods there can be, and they often head out into the woods to hunt and forage together- although he's not a great (or even a good) teacher, Shadowheart (usually Shadow, often Heart, lately Jen or Jenny in affection) does make what he used to do out of sheer need, into something also done for fun.

Hunting and foraging are fun now, and soon, the cabinets are overflowing with jars and jars of dry mushrooms, so much homemade deer jerky, jams and jellies and pickles galore... there's mead fermenting, and homemade soap curing before it can be used, firewood stacked to the height of a person... herb bundles, garlic braids, grain corn, and drying peppers are strung up on the rafters like fragrant fairy lights.

Meanwhile, I imagine that Halsin comes and goes as he pleases- not entirely unlike a beloved stray cat. He just shows up one evening as if he had left not tendays, but only a few hours ago, kicks the duff or mud or snow off his boots, and leans his staff into its habitual nook by the door. He sets whatever it is that he brought this time in its appropriate place (be it otherwise unobtainable goods from town, or just a little gift, a treat to enjoy together), and he sinks into the worn-out armchair by the fireplace that was declared his the first time he stayed.

One of the others almost always then strolls by to settle wordlessly on his lap (if not both of them- that poor chair can barely take the combined weight), and just relax as his big, warm fingers slowly work through the knots and ties keeping their hair out of their faces, and, voice rumbling deep in his chest, he tells them all that has happened in Reithwin the past while.

The many smells of dinner and the comforting scent of pipe tobacco mingle with the fragrant herbs and the crackling fire then, and creates something that can only be described as the scent of home.

.............. and then all three just fuck absolute NASTY every day, in every configuration, and on every surface available for the next, oh, month or so.

[troublemakingrebel]

Baldur's Gate 3 experience if you're playing as a bard:

when you won a tough boss fight on the first try without save scamming:

when you did jack shit but you're a good boy™ anyway:

when you disarmed every trap, lockpicked every chest and pickpocketed every pocket without rolling a single critical failure in 5 minutes:

100/10, def recommend if you love to cry, sweat, bleed and 3D chess

[diluc33rpm]

the romance/relationship system in bg3 is genuinely some of the worst designed shit i've ever seen in any game with that feature but at least the memes we get out of it are funny. once saw someone comment something along the lines of 'patch note: waving at gale will no longer cause him to buy a house for the two of you to retire in' and i've never recovered since

[mokeonn]

I started an honor mode playthrough with probably the cutest tiefling in bg3 and I fuckn got killed during the Phase Spider Matriarch, so I decided to continue my save with dishonor because my character was just so damn cute. Well for some reason or another the game didn't?? Switch it to custom mode?? It's still honor mode??

So I'm either going to get those golden dice in the most dishonorable way possible or the game is just pulling on my leg and It's just honor mode without the reward.

[3gremlins]

i like how all the guides are like "noble/soldier" are the best backgrounds for a paladin and I'm like, shut your faces, kier's (they/he) bg is URCHIN which means they look out for kids/the downtrodden and have bonuses to sleight of hand checks. also they're a drow so you know that was an extra rough childhood. like i rented rooms in the elfsong just for fun and he got inspiration by like just having a real place to stay that wasn't the ground T.T it was neat that the camp moved indoors (including scratch and the owlbear lol, hopefully the inkeepers don't mind owlbear pellets lol)

anyway i really like a character choosing to be a paladin after having a harsh life, you know? it feels more earned than if they grew up in the lap of luxury (noble) or even if they're just a dutiful soldier following orders (*obvs* soldiers can have harsh lives too but the vibe is different). i like that there's so many lost kids in this game you can help too (i realize the guides are just like "oh this bg gives you helpful bonuses" but i think it's more fun to play against type sometimes)

[apricote]

lmaooooo kissing halsin in public and astarion being like, "don't mind me, i'm just enjoying the show", he's so Funny sometimes

[leavemetoplaythesims]

trying to play bg3 is like walking in to a brick wall right now, i think i'm all decided on what to do and then i second guess myself or have a different idea and it's a mess.