#wizard hubris run

[venndaai]

the face I'm imagining Wizard Hubris Tav making while reading this. oh my god the best part of customizable protagonists is moments like this when the game randomly matches up perfectly with your headcanoned backstory and character arc.

[venndaai]

oh I love Larissa initially assuming she's being punished! and love your appreciation for Guiding Bolt <3 My Tav is all, if I was a REAL WIZARD I wouldn't be about to die here, and then they escape the pod and they cast a 1st level spell and it just happens? They don't have to struggle through a ritual, they just will it to happen?? and it doesn't take long to form a theory that the new lodger is the culprit...

and now they're terrified of being Found Out and losing it all, especially with Gale who has been treating them like a magical equal

they would have a veeery interesting dynamic with Larissa because they're pretty suspicious of the gods, even/especially Mystra (they tried praying. She never answered, and they'd given up long before the tadpole.) but also rather in awe of clerics and jealous of their faith. They've chosen to believe in themselves and their friends and believe that they can do Anything!!! but it's mostly bravado and desperation.

but also they could bond with Larissa over nerdy bookworm things :)

venndaai replied to this post:

Oh wow, Larissa and my Tav should be friends! They’re a half-drow whose father wasn’t able to study magic in the Underdark and put all his hopes on them, but they were always the weakest student at wizard school despite studying really hard, but the tadpole in their head seems to have finally unlocked their wizard potential and they’re not willing to give up that power for anything…

Ooh, they should be friends! I love the idea of these two people trying so hard to get magic to work and having potentially dangerous degrees of aspiration to that kind of power, and being continually frustrated in that desire until suddenly everything changed. The two of them should hang out with Gale and have hubris tea parties :P

I also like the contrast with their differing perspectives on the tadpole!

When Larissa was captured and being eye-horror'd, she assumed she must have offended Mystra somehow (though she has no idea what) and completely lost her favor for something this horrific to happen to Larissa. And then when she escapes her pod, she thinks ... maybe Mystra hasn't completely abandoned her? Possibly? But at heart she doubts it until she sees Shadowheart using cleric spells and is like ... well, there's only way to know, and tries to cast Guiding Bolt at the devil, a spell she's never had occasion to use before.

And it just blasts out and sears this side of the devil's face (mechanically: critically hits for some 30 damage lol) and she's like ... wait, so ... Mystra's still blessing me? Then is this not a punishment ... wait ... I'm so confused????? But in general she is firmly set on getting rid of the parasite and avoiding illithid abilities whenever possible, so I think Larissa-(your)Tav would have a really interesting dynamic, actually!

Very curious now about why Mystra chose Larissa!

I was imagining that it mostly comes down to the sheer intensity and scale of Larissa's awe and devotion despite her personally receiving nothing from Mystra for over a decade. But once Larissa (eventually) catches Mystra's attention, Mystra also approves of Larissa's powerful curiosity about the mysteries of the world, especially magical ones, and dedication to studying them and acquiring/preserving as much knowledge as possible + general drive and aspiration. I think Mystra judges Larissa to be someone who will always appreciate and respect the gift of magic while remaining steadfastly faithful to her, and will make a reliable agent in the world.

Larissa fwiw tries to repress her near-insatiable curiosity and the fervor of her longing for respect and magical power, thinking they're a bit unseemly, but I think a) Mystra is 100% aware of them and b) actually very much approves as long as Larissa stays within the limits of Mystra's instructions and will.

[aeoris4lovers]

personally i think part of the reason yussa says caleb widogast the way he does, with such a weary but (not so) secretly amused voice, is because caleb sends to him all the time and insists on using up words to say “this is caleb widogast” every single time, as if yussa wouldn’t know who it was by the millionth call of the night.

once the nein spread out to do their separate things, caleb definitely started using sending constantly. he does it to everyone, but essek and yussa are the ones who (lovingly) make fun of him for it the most because 1) they can make sense of his wizard babble so he has even more to say to them and 2) they’ve experienced the chaos of jester’s sendings firsthand so they can fully appreciate the comedy of the fact that caleb is even more likely than her to call them at some ungodly hour of the night and talk their ears off about something.

caleb may be much more serious than her on the outside but if there’s one thing he learned from her, it’s that sending is a fantastic spell to abuse when you really really want to annoy your favorite wizards at 2am. what he did not learn from her, unsurprisingly, is that you really don’t need to waste words saying who you are every time you decide to annoy them.

when the three of them are together, essek and yussa absolutely do not let him live it down and have an unspoken agreement to exclusively call him by his full name just to make fun of him, which is fair enough considering caleb will absolutely never stop doing it.

[dreamingofthewild]

I know this has been discussed before, but I can't stop thinking about what Gale was doing before the nautiloid.

In his origin playthrough Tara will mention that Gale left in a hurry. Gale tells us that, when he left, he had run out of magical items and Tara was somehow procuring them for him. He never left the house or interacted with anyone else.

Gale had a plan in his mind for how he was going to die. If you ask him, he tells you how he was going to go into the depths of the underdark, where there were little to no people, and poison himself. So he would go on his own terms, taking no one else with him.

The nautaloid during the opening scene is in Yatar, which is north-east of Waterdeep, and about a weeks travel by carriage.

Now, also, Gale wears very plain wizard clothes. And he has on him a true resurrection spell with a "game" to encourage people to revive him if he dies prematurely. All the spells he has in his arsenal are protection spells.

So I think Gale was in Yartar when the nautaloid picked him up.

Seeing his dwindling collection of magical artefacts filled Gale with a deep sense of dread. Tara's efforts to find more were becoming increasingly strained, each excursion taking longer than the last. She wasn’t young anymore, and Gale was tormented by the thoughts of the dangers she might be facing, all for him. Where was she even finding these rare items? The cost must be immense. Was she risking her life? He couldn’t bear it. This was his fault, his hubris, and no one else should have to pay for his folly.

The fear in Gale's heart grew, paralyzing him with guilt. He couldn’t let this continue. Noticing his sudden burst of activity—an unusual sight for someone who rarely left his bed these days—Tara grew suspicious. He assured her he was seeking a cure, and she had no choice but to believe him.

Determined to end this before Tara could persuade him to stay or, worse, join him, Gale made a rash decision. He planned to head north, hastily gathering his things. He cleaned his tower, donned his most basic robes, and prepared spells for protection. He knew he might have to rely on the kindness of strangers to survive, but he was prepared and ready to face whatever came his way.

In the dead of night, without a word to anyone, not even a letter to his mother, Gale fled. His heart was heavy with shame, and he couldn’t bear to say goodbye. He left Waterdeep behind, ready to succumb to his fate, feeling utterly worthless and unworthy. This was his penance, and he accepted it, even if it meant dying alone in a desolate place.

Alas, he only made it to Yartar. When we meet him, he is fearful and desperate. He doesn't want to die, but he it seems that fate has said otherwise. He dons a mask and pretends that everything is okay. How can it be okay when you've a bomb in your chest, a tadpole in your head, the countdown timer to oblivion is ticking fast but the only one who could possibly save you has abandoned you and at your at the mercy of a group of strangers.

[galebrainrot2024]

Oh boy this one is a little salacious and indulgent. Anyway, we're back!

Summary: Inspired by the image below, gender neutral and unnamed Tav and Gale get a moment alone without their companions. Sexually explicit, denial, mutual masturbation, restraint, voyeurism, oral sex

Read on Ao3 | Master List | NSFW18+

Gale strides to the throne, running his fingers over the spines of the books, admiring the unique craftsmanship. “A bit self serving, if you ask me. Anyone who’s well read wouldn’t require such a gaudy display for their supposed knowledge.” You can’t help to roll your eyes in response and he gives a cheek grin. “Am I wrong?”  

The rest of your companions returned to camp while you and Gale scourged the wizards tower, looting what you were able and taking the moment to yourselves. It wasn’t often you had time privately and away from the others. Now, here you were - isolated and contained together. 

You watch as the sunlight whispers through the large paneled windows, kissing Gale’s skin and feel yourself spark to life, the tendrils of need licking up your spine. Your cheeks flush, tempted as you watch his fingers continue to run over the books, admiring their skill… you swallow hard.  

As he drapes himself into the chair and leans back cooly, you feel gripped with the desire to please him, to get down on your knees in front of him and bring him to the zenith of pleasure. To worship him. He reads the lust on your face and slouches a bit cockily, raising a brow and flicks his wrist to conjures a mage hand in a flash of purple hue. He studies the hand for a moment before tossing a wicked grin your way, his pupils blown wide. When Gale speaks, his voice is low - “Are you alright, my love? Your cheeks are looking rather… flushed.” Gale rests an elbow on the arm of the chair and looks at you as if you were his prey, leaning back in the chair languidly and brushes his bottom lip with his thumb. His legs spread as if in invitation, the familiar mischievous glint evident in his gaze. You feel the tingle of your shared arousal course through your veins and your breath hitches. “It’s not often we find ourselves with such privacy. Might I suggest we take advantage of this gift of serendipitity?” 

“What did you have in mind?” You breathe, though your body already seems to know the answer. The voracious urge consumes you, the need to entwine your limbs, the carnal ache for the delirium of bliss by his hands. 

“Ah,” he chuckles darkly, raising a brow and leans forward. “Quite a few things, and none of them require this…” he gestures to your body, “extensive armor.” He clicks his tongue and the mage hand extends towards you, brushing through your hair. The movement sends a shudder down your spine. Your lips part as the fingers brush the hollow of your neck and skims your hems, begging to unlace and unbutton the fabric that stands between your naked form and Gale. 

The erogenous heat fills your center and he watches you come undone, feeding off your desperation as the mage hand deliberately undresses you. The fingers work unhurried, the throbbing between your thighs growing with every light caress and brush. You shudder and try to shoo the hand away when it then grips your wrists together, Gale’s darker appetites seeping through. You gasp, surprised by the firm, sudden moment. He clicks his tongue again, “it’s unlike you to be uncooperative, my love…” the hand tightens around your wrist and he conjures another to begin to undo the rest. You feel your knees buckle and your lips part, wanting. 

Whenever Gale was in this mood, you couldn’t resist pushing back against his hubris and the fixation with making you squirm. To deny you pleasure and inch you closer to the edge without quite giving into you. It is a game, and you will not be the first to yield. You feel your heart thrum wildly, this the first time you’ve been alone since the night in the astral plane. Your eyes drink Gale in, the way his robes cling to his form, highlighting the half formed arousal beneath the robes. It makes your mouth water, wanting to taste every inch of him. You again try to work against the hand and are met with resistance. Another manifests in front of you, tracing idle patterns between your thighs before it continues disrobing you. The air is cold against your bare skin as your armor falls away, leaving you standing stark in only your undergarments. 

Gale rests back, his head tilted against the chair and you see him stir to life, his eyes frenzied with insatiable need. Gale licks his lips and a smirk dances at the corners of his mouth as he manipulates the hand with deft twists, and you stand dumbfounded - goosebumps rise across your body from the cold and your nipples stand alert. The hand brushes up your torso and up your chest, barely tracing your neck. You shudder and Gale leans forward hungrily. “Is something the matter?” His voice is thick with lust and he bites the tip of his finger as he uses the mage hand to caress your body. You feel the fire bloom within and your core pools with frenzied longing, squirming as the hand finds its way between your thighs. You hear yourself whimper and a plea falls from your lips. Gale leans forward more, his legs spread wide as he rests on his knees. 

Your eyes lock on one another, profound craving and an almost punishing thrill of what was to come charging the air between you. Your underwear betray your sweet arousal and the hand barely brushes over your clothed sex. You inhale through your teeth, “Gale please…” 

Gale leans back again, one of his hands snaking between his thighs to hold the evident bulge under his robes. “Please what?” He asks, his eyes flicking to the arousal between your thighs and you hear him groan. The wait is exquisite. “Use your words, darling.” 

You try and as you do, the mage had around your wrists tightens and begins to push you forward and you oblige. Gale’s legs seem to spread wider as you approach and he leans back, beckoning you. As you approach, your body undulates with torturous need, the arousal between your thighs severe. He flashes his brows and flicks his gaze to the floor before him. You fall to your knees, and he leans forward, taking your chin in his hands and brings his lips to yours. The kiss is lecherous, his tongue forcibly parting your lips to roll over yours. You whimper and moan, squeezing your thighs together and another hand materializes. The hands spread your legs and work one thigh each, your hands still restrained by the first. 

When Gale pulls out of the kiss you are both breathing deliriously, his black pupils revealing his craving for more. He stands in front of you and disrobes, the thick bulge in his briefs begging to be freed. Your body responds, lips parted and mouth watering. You lean forward and lick across where his briefs meet his lower torso. His hand holds the back of your head as you do this and a guttural moan escapes him. 

Your carnivorous excitement takes over and you grip his briefs with your teeth, pulling them down his body. He laughs darkly, “Very good…” he purrs and you look up at him, eyes wide and eager. Gale sits back in the chair and you are entranced - he releases your wrists and the hands caress your lower body. With your hands freed they find their way to Gale’s thighs and you grip them tightly as your lips graze along in tandem. You can sense the hands massaging your butt, the source of your arousal as if to encourage you to please him. 

His pulsating erection demands to be sated and you eye him, your tongue flicking higher and closer to the source of his pleasure. You hear him moan, his hand still lithely guiding your head between his thighs. The saliva in your mouth pools yet before you are able to take him, he pushes your head away. You whimper and feel the hands beginning to massage and pleasure you, your eyes flutter and you hear Gale sigh as he watches you. 

Gale’s hand guides you forward now, succumbing to you and you meet him eagerly, your grip firm on the arms of the throne. Your lips wrap around the tip of his erection and saliva pools downward onto his shaft. He grunts and you roll your tongue over the sensitive tip and he squirms as you take him deeper into your mouth. Gale rewards you with a groan and thrust, the tip of his cock hitting the back of your throat deliciously. You suck as if famished, your voracious thirst for him fueling the skill of your mouth and tongue. The grip on the back of your head tightens and he begins to push harder into your mouth and you feel the hands between your thighs increase their tempo and firmness. You moan against his cock and the vibration makes him twitch, his body slick with sweat as you take him and indulge. You lick across his shaft and fondle the bridge between his ass and penis which causes him to writhe beautifully. You smirk and use your hand to grip the base of him, bringing your lips to meet your hand as you work him. 

Gale comes undone, the grip in your hair sending you reeling and the hands torment you, bringing you closer and closer to bliss. Each time you feel yourself close to release, the hands pull back and you cry out desperately, your mouth full of Gale as he retreats. You suck harder, frantic, seeking the full flavor of Gale’s arousal. He is salty, warm in your wet mouth and his movements begin to grow more urgent, volatile. Your jaw aches and tears form at the corners of your eyes and your saliva covers his throbbing erection as he bucks into your mouth. You relax your throat, allowing him to plunge deeper into you and he moans louder, the sound anguishing music as he continues his retreat from your pleasure. 

You pull back and you feel Gale’s hand resist and he groans, almost in frustration. He tries to press you back to him and you resist, you grip him tightly with your hand and you gaze up at him as you lick across his shaft. His lips fall open and his head tilts back. Suddenly, you feel a hand manipulate you aggressively, so close to allowing you release that you fold your entire mouth over Gale and he cries out in animalistic pleasure, plunging into your mouth as the hands work you. “Oh fuck…” he grips the back of your head almost too hard, his cock slipping deep into your throat and you moan as the warm, sticky cascade of his climax shoots into your mouth and you suck violently, tasting every part of his pleasure as he allows the hands to bring you to your own rapture while you taste the fruit of your labor. 

He collapses into the chair and you onto his lap, resting your head on his thigh - both of your breathing is ragged and shallow, the calm settling between as your breath comes back to you. He brushes his fingers through your hair and across your cheeks and you look up at him. He is flushed and grins, almost sheepishly as you say: “You are full of surprises,” you murmur and kiss thigh before pulling yourself up to kiss him. 

It is slow, tender, and you see him thrum to life again. You raise a brow and he shrugs before murmuring, “Well… we have time for a bit more, wouldn’t you agree?” 

[agentwashingcat]

The thing about Gale's hubris that gets me is that not all of it comes from wanting power for powers sake. I mean, yes, that's some of it of course, have you seen the wizards, they all suffer from delusions of grandeur in this game occasionally but like

Imagine you're Gale. You're in a relationship with the literal goddess of magic (who's also been teaching you magic since you were like 10 or something don't be weird it's totally fine) and you know. You know she's only interested because you're a wizard, and a damn powerful one at that. Wouldn't you also want to amass all the power you could, to keep your status?

And then when you run out of things to learn in Faerun well, there's always the magic of the gods. But they don't want you to learn that. Indeed, when you bring it up to Mystra, she just pats your head and tells you to be satisfied with what you have. Most mortals don't even get this much, why can't you be happy?

It's not like your time might be running short. It's not like there might be some new up and coming prodigy to catch Mystra's eye, and then where does that leave you? Alone with your broken heart and nothing to show for it.

So of course he's going to do what he can to maintain that status. Most people would. And hey, becoming a god would be a pretty cool side effect. It's not like it's that far outside the realm of possibility for mortals to ascend to godhood in Faerun. Even the current Mystra was once a mortal woman.

It just makes me feral that underneath the 5 layers of hubris is a core of insecurity that he's only wanted for what he can do and not who he is. But if he is only wanted for what he can do, he's gonna make sure he's damn fucking good at it.

[blazingstar24]

No but like the fact that Rolan respects Zevlor so much implies the idea that he looked up to Zevlor possibly even before having to leave Elturel. And also the idea that Rolan could and does more easily forgive him due to his experience with Lorroakan is so juicy.

Because one could argue that those two things are so different. Zevlor’s actions got people killed. Rolan’s only potentially would have harmed Aylin if the player was not there. But in that notion, it shows how alike these two are or moreso how much Rolan has modeled his values off of Zevlor. Both blamed themselves quite heavily for faltering in their values due to an outside influence neither could control. (Remember that the player/companions would have become enslaved right outside the goblin camp if not for the artifact, Zevlor didn’t have that and broke free of his own will.)

Both Zevlor and Rolan hold themselves to very high standards and tend to turn to self loathing when they can’t meet the impossible standards they set. Even before the Absolute incident, you can see Zevlor breaking under the stress he takes on to protect the tieflings. He says he can’t protect them if they are forced out of the grove, yet we know that the tieflings were so close to the Last Light. If you rescue Zevlor from Moonrise, lemme tell you that paladin does not need your help. He fucking bodied all them mindflayers (in my run at least) Zevlor is way more capable and had been doing so much for the tieflings, but he feels as if it’s not enough, that his broken oath is a sign that he’s failed and is failing them. It’s how the Absolute gets him with false promises and temptation.

And it’s the same for Rolan. His haughty arrogant nature may come off as and is a bit cocky. He can be a prick. But when you really look at it, it’s not overconfidence. Rolan holds himself to a high standard, he needs to be that great wizard he claims to be, else what good is he? And then when he fails to protect Lia and Cal, the same self loathing kicks in. He can’t see that he protected the kids, he failed to meet the standard he set which is be strong enough protect his family. And that’s how Lorroakan gets him to stay and endure the abuse.

In these similarities, it does become a bit clear that Zevlor is the kind of person Rolan wants to be. “He’s like a leader to me, Zevlor holds a special place in my heart.”Rolan’s want for power again yes a bit of wizard hubris but very much in line with that same image of being a protector, like Zevlor. Because back to saving the kids, if Rolan was as selfish as he claims himself to be, if his protectiveness only was for Cal and Lia, he wouldn’t have saved the kids. He would have forgone saving them to protect his siblings. But he didn’t, he tried to save everyone.

So yeah while the Cameos are in a nebulous canon, it’s not like the game itself doesn’t support this idea either

[shellem15]

This episode has made it very clear to me that the Archheart has NO idea what they're doing. Indecisive queen. They're gonna change their mind about the releasing predathos and running away plan, I'm calling it now. This entire plan is based on vibes and hubris it's not gonna last under pressure. Like, even if theyre right and none of them die, their siblings are gonna be SO mad at them it'll probably cause another schism. 10/10 foresight truly a god of wizards.

[tossawary]

Someone responded, "Howl would do chores for Sophie! He loves her so much!" to that Prince Turniphead house-boyfriend post about the "Howl's Moving Castle" movie where I said that Howl wouldn't reliably help around the house. And... no. No, I said RELIABLY, that's a really important word here, but also no.

Nothing about his home setup (the mess of the kitchen in the beginning, the RAINBOW BATHROOM, his cluttered bedroom) suggests that he's in the habit of picking up after himself. I don't think he's purposefully a slob, but I do think he's too distractible and thoughtless to do the required regular cleaning. I think he's a "I'll put this down here for now and deal with it later *proceeds to walk around this object every day for the next three years while doing more interesting / immediate things*" person at best. Being in love does not suddenly change all your habits as a person or your personal interests! I think Howl would definitely try (important word here) to do better for Sophie, but I think it would take a lot of work and he's kind of lazy about these things!

I do think he cooks. Movie Howl IS shown cooking with Calcifer and I think he and his fire demon could have fun with that task, very cute, and leave a mountain of dishes behind them in the process.

Also, (trying to limit referencing the books for those who haven't read them, but I can't resist here) Book Sophie is... kind of controlling and loves to complain? And can also do magic herself? When I said that Howl can't be trusted to RELIABLY do chores, it's partly because I don't think he'd be doing them to 1) Sophie's exacting standards and 2) in the EXACT way that Sophie wants it done. I think Sophie would in many cases decide that it's easier just to train Howl to better stay out of her way, honestly.

Especially because HOWL IS A WIZARD!!! You can't fucking trust those assholes with a simple chore! It doesn't occupy their brains enough and they're ALWAYS going to think, "I bet I could invent a spell to do this for me," and that's how you get floating dishes or animated broomsticks or a fucking water spirit in your house. It's the hubris! Can't smack it out of wizards with a stick!

Howl swallowed a star and made a deal with a fire demon! He built a giant walking castle that was holding together JUST using magic (it completely fell apart at the end of the movie) and wandered freely around the country! He was pretending to be two different people to run businesses and then abandoned the buildings when the government caught up to him! I'm pretty sure he used a magic spell to SQUAT in Sophie's family's former hat shop! He impersonated the king! He dodged the draft literally afterwards in an airship battle! He nearly irreversibly turned himself into a bird monster and fought bombing airships by HIMSELF - and there's no way that Sophie wasn't confusedly picking black feathers off the floor. He summoned the spirits of darkness and started turning into ooze because his hair dye came out the wrong color!

Howl would TRY for Sophie, I believe that. I just also think that he'd rather use magic to completely renovate the entire house than actually scrub floors. I think he would invent an incredibly ugly magical vacuum cleaner for her and Sophie would love it so much that she would choose to overlook the fact that it tries to eat the carpet and curtains and the dog sometimes. I think that if Book Sophie was told she could melt wizards with a bucket of soapy water with a little bit of lemon juice (like the Enchanted Forest Chronicles), she COULD DO IT by choosing to believe it, and Howl hides from her and that bucket because he loves her but she's TERRIFYING.

If Sophie's sister Lettie was visiting and Sophie was panicking because she hadn't had the time to dust on top of the guest room wardrobe... whatever the magical equivalent of shoving all of your stuff into a closet at the last minute to make the place LOOK clean is, THAT's how Howl would help.

[ratgrinders]

the rat grinders and the ring of brass and their separate relationships to hubris and how it dooms them are fascinating to me, like at first glance theyre so different but there's some interesting similarities there

you have the ring of brass that represent the height of wizard hubris, a group of mostly extremely skilled magic users defined by their dominance in their particular sphere (commerce, knowledge, the arcane) and who are all of the higher echelon of society. these guys are the top dogs, the guys who run everything, and they know it, and ultimately its this belief in their superiority that dooms them

then you have the rat grinders, defined by their mediocrity. unremarkable, grasping for any sort of underhanded way to reach the top because they feel victimized by how they are forgotten by the narrative. the ring of brass may have been doomed, but at least they were the main characters. the rat grinders don't even have that.

and yet, both groups are defined by their constant want of more. More of this, more of that, I deserve this, why is this being withheld from me when it is rightfully mine?? doing everything they can to attain that which they deserve, even to the detriment of not only themselves, but the death of those close to them. lucy and evandrin, the simultaneous sacrificial lambs and the canaries in the coal mine, members of the group that died so their ambitions could live.

[stars-and-inkpots]

Where I'll Stay (At Your Side) | Gale x Reader

You know Gale has his sights set on the crown. At first, you had agreed that it sounded like a good idea. But now, holding the book in your hands, you worry about history and it's tendency to repeat itself.

Despite the anxiety blooming in your chest, you hand the book over to Gale.

Pairing: Gale/Reader

Tags: light hurt/comfort, light angst, act iii spoilers

Notes: this wizard can carry so much hubris and self-worth issues. something kinda short that i wanted to write after playing through more of act iii (even though it is so very bugged rn)

Ao3 Link: Where I'll Stay (At Your Side)

Word Count: 1,042

Breaking into the basement of Sorcerous Sundries was no easy feat. But because it was Gale who wanted to do it, you were more than happy to try. Astarion was happy for the opportunity to go precisely where he wasn’t allowed to, and Karlach was eager to join because it sounded exciting. Together, the four of you managed to sneak your way into the librarians office and through the portal that led to the basement. 

There were traps, because the elaborate secret portal behind the very locked door wasn’t enough, and they were a pain to deal with. They were no problem for Astarion, however, who quickly disarmed them the moment they were noticed. 

Once you finally found the book, you were suddenly filled with a growing apprehension. Looking at it, the severe and intimidating cover, it made you doubt that this was right. 

You know Gale has his sights set on the crown. At first, you had agreed that it sounded like a good idea. But now, holding the book in your hands, you worry about history and it’s tendency to repeat itself. 

Despite the anxiety blooming in your chest, you hand the book over to Gale. 

---

Back at the Elfsong Tavern, Gale is flipping through the book with rapt attention. He hasn’t said a word to you while you sit on the bed with him. 

“Gale,” you say, breaking the silence. He looks up at you immediately. 

“Yes, my love?” He answers. He sets the book down beside him, and you feel relieved, for some reason, to see it not in his hands. 

You move closer to him, settling yourself in his lap, straddling his hips. He’s quick to move his hands to your hips. He looks up at you, big brown eyes catching the light from the lantern on the side table. You can’t help but kiss him, holding his face between your palms. 

“While I am not opposed to affection without reason, of course; I feel like I must ask if there is a cause for such sudden sentiments?” 

Gale has a knack for seeing through you sometimes. No matter your efforts, he always seems to know when something is bothering you, and he is surprisingly adept at prying the truth from you. 

“I’m worried about you,” you admit plainly. His smile fades. 

“About what?” 

“The crown,” you answer after a moment, hesitant even to tell him. He hums, brow furrowing slightly. 

“You trust me with it, don’t you?” He sounds vulnerable when he asks. The thought of your doubt in him is near painful to consider. 

“I do,” you’re quick to reassure. “I do, Gale, I really do. It’s just… will you still be yourself with power like that? How do you know it won’t change you?” 

“Well, of course it will change me,” he says, with a laugh as though it’s no concern to him. It likely isn’t, you realise. Gale doesn’t see what you see in him; the thought of him changing doesn’t strike him with the same fear that it does you. He watches your eyes betray your feelings immediately. “I’ll still be myself; just stronger. Isn’t that what you want for me?” 

“I want you as you are.” Your voice is strained. “I want you .” 

“And you will have me. This is no selfish endeavour, I assure you. I’m doing this for both of us.” His smile has returned, the thought of your future together is enough to give him hope. You hate that you don’t share the sentiment. 

You lean against him, resting your head against his chest. You’re quiet for a few minutes. Gale’s hand runs up and down your back, occasionally running through the hair at the nape of your neck. 

“If this is truly what you want, then I will stand behind you… But I’m worried that’s where I’ll stay; I’m worried that is where you will keep me, by no fault of your own. I’m worried I will never be at your side again. Gods cannot love mortals, not truly.” You feel Gale’s hand stop at your shoulder. “Gods cannot be tender, they cannot love in the way that mortals love.” You can hear him begin to say something, but you stop him as you continue speaking. “I don’t care about your powers.” You lean back again to look at him. “I fell in love with Gale. Gale Dekarios. Not Gale, wizard of Waterdeep. Not Gale, God of Magic, Master of the Weave.” Your palms rest against his cheeks again, and you press a kiss to his forehead. “If this is what you want, I will help you. But you must know that I will love you no matter what. You could lose all of your magic tomorrow, and I would still love you just as much. You are more to me than your achievements and your titles, Gale Dekarios.” 

Gale stares up at you, speechless. 

“You are entirely too generous. I deserve very little of your kind words,” he says finally. 

“You deserve all of them and more. I will repeat myself until you believe me.” You watch the tears gather in the corner of his eyes, with your own to match. He pulls you forward to kiss you. 

The book is abandoned, pushed to the side, and eventually hits the floor. Gale ignores it, far too concerned with you. You , who loves him for the man he is. Despite everything, you love him. Sure, he may not entirely believe himself worthy of such love yet, but the longer you stay with him, every reassurance you give unasked; it does slowly push him to believe that perhaps he is worth more than others have convinced him of in the past. 

You love him like no one else has. You love him, even with his flaws. You love him, would still love him even without his magic. You are the first to love the things about him that he would abandon; the things about him that are not perfect. He would be a fool to throw that away for the crown. 

What he knows he wants, as uncertain as the future may be, is to have you at his side. He doesn’t need the crown to have that. 

[venndaai]

having to choose between Lae'zel and the Emperor is causing me more agony than any video game choice has in quite a while

[gloriousmonsters]

'you can't offer mercy to villains they don't deserve it and you'll just suffer for it' sorry i was exposed to a tween girl pulling out her favorite pen and editing the Ultimate Sacred Show Bible so that the devil of her universe is no longer described as having no hope of changing or regaining the light he once shared with the other gods, and instead has a chance at leaving his role if he wants to. while he is in the middle of trying to kill her and her best friend sososo much. because she was like 'that seems sad'. and it was at a vulnerable impressionable age so my heart is full of hope and honor sorry again

sometimes i see people having opinions about 'deserving redemption' and 'evil' and 'it's dangerous to sympathize with bad guys, that's what they WANT' and i'm just like someone needs to time travel back to when they were 13 and have their brain rewired by So You Want To Be A Wizard (1983) authored by Diane Duane

[rainbowgod666]

Wizardposting blogs and my view of them, OR:

My ass out here cataloguing wizards like they're pokemon 💀 i ran out of things to do fr 💀💀💀

@official-megumin: dutch (EDIT. SHE ISNT. I WRONGLY REMEMBERER A POST OF HERS. I KNOW HER ASS IS LIVING [OR FROM] NORTH EUROPE THO) megumin that still has the "only knows one spell and its the stupidest and hardest to unlock and use. Balancing the Meta my ass" problem. In a relationship with @a-sentient-cup

@autism--wizard: just a lil neurodivergent guy that likes spooders. Not much of it really. Possibly strong enough to defeat spiders georg

@the-adhd-sorcerer: moot :) also more powerful than they let on, but its like DBXV2: starter gear and GODLY stats

@mossy--wizard: moss-fueled neurodivergent boi with lots of moss. Yes their blog feels like a wet forest in the sunlight, drying up after a long rain. Not really interacted with them tho...

@wizard-council-bureaucrat: basically the MC of tumblr wizardposting. If they say something its either wizard law or just a suggestion. Probably the only wizard here that ISNT "surprisingly powerful even though their learning was less than advanced"

@wizard-intern: the blorbo.

@the-gnomish-bastard: ok i get that theyre basically pilaf from dragonball, but A: the stew arcanum is REAL bur the 24 gods thing either sounds like bullshit or he made a stew out of 24 REALLY HUBRIS-FILLED PEOPLE (which would explain his "holy fucking shit how are you even capable of HAVING A STRUCTURE WITH THE FUNCTION OF A BRAIN"), B: he was the dude that came up with the whole "floating wizard island thing" (which has so many holes like wtf put it back down) and C: im pretty sure they have been corrupted by some kind of mushroom deity, which would explain the fact that when calling him "stupid" its like SCP-682 saying that humans are disgusting. Because there literally isnt a stronger word in the human language. How in the fuck does someone have so little intellect we have to do like the jewish population of europe after 1945 when they came up with the word "shoah" to describe what happened to them. To the user running that blog. GET SOME PSYCHIATRIC HELP ASAP. Holy shit.

@not-a-suspicious-wizard: "I aM vErY tRuStWoRtHy" dude everyone knows you wanna do some weird "subjugate reality" bullshit. How about you start making drafts and NOT murdering opponents? Seriously dude if you wanna be in charge as long as you dont try weird "consolidating power like its the 1940s" shit its alright. Maybe take some craftmanship things as a hobby! Make your own throne! Come up with something to do when you are too tired to do Dominant King Bullshit! Play modded minecraft/terraria! Make origami! If youre gonna blanket the world in darkness, at least make it look cool and welcoming instead of "inevitable rebel uprising lol have fun with Prophetic Children lmao" :3

@incompetent-wizard: are you SURE youre incompetent? Chances are, you're just unlucky 😊

[inbarfink]

You know, it is kinda funny sometimes…. I joined the Adventure Time fandom around mid-way through Season 5. And from what I remember back then, most of the popular headcanons and theories around the origin of Ice King’s Magic Crown played a very similar tune. Some sort of Evil Ice Wizard creating a Magical Artifact that will allow him to live forever, or maybe just create a legacy of Evil Ice Wizards that will freeze the world. You know, kinda on the same vibe Farmworld Finn was going on about when he was under the Crown’s influence.

But then ‘Evergreen’ came out, and revealed not only that the Crown’s origins lay in a time period much more unique and strange than the Generic Medieval Fantasy a lot of people were imagining

But that the thing standing at the very core of the Magic Crown’s Curse was not just simple Villainous Hubris or an intentional desire to cause Icy Evil - instead the theme surrounding the Crown’s origin and its Curse is the Cycle of Parental Abuse.

Urgence Evergreen is not your run-of-the-mill Evil Wizard, and he wasn’t trying to create a Curse, but he was an Extremely Bad Dad. I mean, he didn’t consider himself a dad at all - but it’s clear that he raised Gunther since he hatched and the Dinosaur saw him as a parental figure. The only parental figure he had in his entire life. And through Gunther’s entire life, it’s clear Evergreen was emotionally distant and deprived him of the familial connection Gunther needed and he just constantly belittled and insulted him

And generally showed very little concern for both his emotional and physical well-being.

He didn’t even do the thing he was supposed to be doing with Gunther, which was teaching him Magic.

And yet Gunther still loved him like a father, and craved his admiration and approval, and wanted to be just like him.

And we see this Cycle of Abuse happen a bit more literally before we even get to the Crown. Gunther clearly loves his pet Nina a lot, but sometimes he channels his own frustrations with Evergreen at her - mirroring the way Evergreen treats him. Because this is all he ever knew.

And so, when the Crown granted Gunther his ‘deepest truest Wish’ and made him just like his beloved Master Evergreen, he became a perpetually-angry madman shouting nothing but ‘Gunther no!’.

Because for all of Evergreen’s pride in his role as the Ice Elemental and his aspirations of being the one to Save the World, this is what he always was in the eyes of his son. Add to it the fact that he never taught Gunther any Magic Basics that could help him control the Crown… Evergreen’s abuse of Gunther literally became a Curse.

One that has not only hurt Gunther and backfired on Evergreen… but keeps hurting any poor soul who comes across the Crown. Generations after Master Evergreen was left as barely even a distant memory, his abuse is still responsible for turning others into Hurt People Who Hurt Others.

And then the Crown ends up with Certified Dad Simon Petrikov.

And, now, Simon’s Good Dad Qualities did not, like, automatically negate the Crown’s influence. But.. he tried, he always tried. He knew what he needed to do to be the parental figure Marcy needed, and even when the Crown made it hard for him, he tried to fight through it and do his best.

And even when he totally lost himself to the Crown, he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting her.

But also.... it's important to remember that Marceline is not the only child-figure Simon raised while under the influence of the Magic Crown.

Ice King’s relationship with Gunter the Penguin was always kind of a fatherly thing - I mean, that is why he named him the same name he’s given to Marceline, the name that’s ingrained in the Crown as the name of the Evergreen-Clone’s son. But in earlier seasons in the show, it was very… fraught. Ice King would shift rapidly from being very caring, affectionate and sweet towards his lil’ Gunter

To very Evergreen-esque moments of callousness, neglectfulness and just… venting his own frustrations at his misery as unnecessary anger and cruelty towards the penguin.

Misery that is, of course, caused as a result of the Curse of the Magic Crown. The Curse that only came into being through Evergreen’s mistreatment of his own Gunther. The Curse that is also subconsciously pushing Ice King into being just like Evergreen. It torments Ice King and ‘teaches’ him to vent this torment out on others - but especially at his Gunter. Simon’s natural nurturing instincts were still trying to fight through it, the same way he did with Marceline, but it was not always enough. It's important to note that Ice King still always gave Gunter the Penguin more genuine care and affection than friggin’ Evergreen ever gave to Gunther the Dinosaur, but it's just as important to also note that the Curse still affected his treatment of Gunter in all kinds of harmful ways.

But as the show went on, and Ice King started to become more stable, and started to get the help and support he needed… he also became a better father to his Gunter. Like, without Betty’s interference, Simon was not able to overcome the Curse as a Dementia Metaphor, or the Curse as an Addiction Metaphor… But as for the Curse as a Cycle of Abuse Metaphor? Ice King/Simon, through his strong pre-Crown parental side, and through his love for Gunter and his genuine desire to be a better parent - he was breaking the magical Cycle of Abuse that Evergreen started through entirely mundane means.

He grew past his bad-tempered outburst and bouts of neglectfulness, and just became this extremely doting and loving and sweet father to Gunter.

And so, next time a Reset Crown lended into the clutches of a Gunther, ready to grant a new Wish, the Gunther once again chose to become just like his beloved father figure

but rather than an irrationally angry madman who cannot say anything but “Gunther, no!”… The very first words Ice Thing says are a reminder of how much he loves his Gunter. How much Gunter knows Simon loves him.

And he just seems like this sweet, harmless and happily content silly lil Ice Wizard. Maybe not the person Ice King always was, but the person he was always trying to be. I mean, he literally achieved Ice King’s original goal of being happily married to a princess.

But also just in a general sense, he’s happy and satisfied with his life and he’s not hurting anyone. And just like the original Curse is the legacy of Evergreen’s abuse, this is the legacy of Ice King/Simon’s attempts to do right by Gunter despite his struggles. He has broken the Curse and now it will never torment anyone ever again. Because, well, because Gunter seems to have fused with the Crown so it’s unlikely anyone else will ever be able to wear it. And if someone could, the ‘Curse’ that will be inflicted on them will not be nearly as destructive as Evergreen’s Curse.

(And let’s not forget that Simon’s Honest Attempt at Good Parenting didn’t just neutralize the Curse, it also neutralized a literal eldritch abomination. The Orgalorg Stuff isn’t directly related to the point I wanna make, but that’s also Pretty Cool)

Of course, we also know that although Ice Thing seems happy and content now, this status quo won’t last forever.

I mean, a thousand years in the future is a long time for things to change. But also, maybe it’s very Thematically Appropriate that the person who seems to be responsible for Ice Thing’s degradation is Gibbon.

Who is himself a result of a Whole Separate Series of Parental Issues.

[toaarcan]

C3E107 Thoughts

Okay first point of order, obligatory screaming about Abubakar flying an ocean to do a surprise return as the Arch Heart, you love to see it.

The Arch Heart's plan is interesting but I think they've either not telling the whole story or they're making a mistake. They assume that, in a moment of panic of Predathos being released early, their siblings will all flee. Except we know Melora would stand and fight, and we know that two of the gods are not Tengarian and therefore they have no past track record to base that thought on. They've got no clue what RQ and Vecna will do when the chips are down.

Of course, it's possible that the Arch Heart is hiding the truth. They said themselves that they are sneaky and that they were there without the knowledge of the other gods. They also kept stressing that they were being honest. Which could well be a lie. DC30 on the Insight check to see through any bullshit. The gods may have a different purpose for putting Predathos into a person.

The reality they've claimed is that the gods are currently in argument over what they should do about the Predathos situation, and the Arch Heart believes that if they have time to come to a conclusion, they will choose to fight. Whether that means war with Predathos or war on the people trying to release it, who can say. Either way, if they all come back, inevitably the Betrayers will try to kill mortals again, and the Primes will fight them. Calamity 2 will happen if mortals take too long to stop Predathos.

Ultimately the idea of cramming Predathos into Imogen or Fearne does not seem like a good one. We just spent the better part of 103 episodes watching Laudna struggle to keep Delilah under control. Delilah is the soul of a mortal fucking wizard. And Downfall illustrated the vast gulf between mortal mages and gods. It also showed max-level mortal bodies being disintegrated by the raw power of an unbound deity forcing its way out from within them. And the plan here is to cram a more-powerful entity into a Lv.13 Sorcerer or Druid and expect Predathos to not immediately escape or hollow them out and wear them like a cheap suit?

Then again, given the way it was being talked about maybe they are aware of this and recognise that whoever becomes Predathos' vessel is functionally or literally dead and doomed to chase the gods across reality for eternity, and that's a sacrifice that some have decided they are okay with. Either way, not a great plan.

The two members of BH that are most happy with the Arch Heart's idea are Dorian and Ashton, who are reacting to it like the perfect answer has finally been given to them. But it's not Dorian and Ashton who are going to be tasked with becoming the vessel. Imogen really does not want Predathos released. Fearne is more curious but Zathuda is actively trying to groom her into the perfect vessel and Shardgate was born out of Ashton convincing her to go with her gut and give him the Shard instead of taking it for herself, and I worry that with them on one shoulder and Zathuda on the other, Fearne may end up going with the plan and dying for it.

As for who the deity that agrees with the Arch Heart is... I don't think it's the Matron. The Arch Heart's words around her appearance are "You've heard my side," as if to imply that she represents the other. She was also one of the more reluctant gods when it came to leaving and building the gate, and she was consistently the "Stop doing hubris" one during Downfall.

The Arch Heart definitely did not have an answer for whether Predathos will harm mortals accidentally in pursuit of its meal. Also there's a probably-god chilling in the heart of the planet who isn't going to be running anywhere so that's not a great sign.

Zathuda and the Unseelie's dissatisfaction with Ludinus speaks to one of the bigger flaws in the Ruby Vanguard's plan. We've seen the gulf between mortal wizards and gods in Downfall, but Ludinus assumes that if he kills the gods then mortals will sit atop the food chain. Except they won't. There are a lot of entities that live in the gulf between mortal and divine, like powerful Fey, and also the Fiends the heroes keep running into. Zathuda evidently looks down on Ludinus and intends to betray him. To chase the gods away will open up the throne they've abdicated again, and it will not be a mortal wizard that sits it (nor should it be), it will be a devil or a demon or an archfey.