#you have quite a few similarities between both gale and halsin and i feel like you would mesh SUPER well with either of them
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frostfall-matches · 7 months ago
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[ matchmaking... ]
@tolkien-fantasy : [ match report ready ]
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your match is…
✦ Karlach
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-> [ Karlach is someone who can match your energy very well. ] She’s the passionate sort, loves living life to the fullest… especially after managing to escape Avernus. She’s the positive sort that aims to keep pushing forward no matter the obstacle. Karlach would be able to easily feed off your spunky, ambitious energy - and vice versa. She’s happy if she’s able to keep your energy up, or lift you up when you’re feeling down. Your lives are full of difficulties already, only becoming more complicated with the mindflayer tadpole mess - so it’s nice to have someone who can really resonate with you.
-> [ Very empathetic to your chronic illnesses. ] Though her situation is not quite the same, she can relate to the struggles of being stuck with a condition that places limits on how you’re able to experience the world around you, a condition that makes living in your own body difficult. Karlach is able to take your ups and downs in stride - there may be a quick flash of pity when you’re not feeling well, but she doesn’t ever treat you like you’re incapable. That said, she insists that you let her know if there’s anything at all that she can do for you - she’d be happy to help!
-> [ Karlach insists that she’s not the most well-read, but she’s happy to absorb some of your knowledge. ] She’s very much the type to happily listen to whatever you might want to talk about - especially considering your wide range of interests. She feels like she’s always learning something new when she’s with you! Honestly, she didn’t have many opportunities to really dig into different subjects and study them, so a lot of the information you know is new to her. Sure, there are a few topics that can get a little difficult for her to follow if they’re particularly complex, but even in those cases she’s happy to just listen to your voice and try to comprehend as much as she can.
-> [ Karlach is the type to run headfirst into battle right alongside you. ] No judgment from her here - though you two may land yourselves into trouble at times because of this. Ah, well, you two can patch each other up after the battle. If needed, she can and will take hits for you. She knows you’re physically strong and capable of handling yourself, but she can’t help but worry about you. She knows that she can take some heavy hits anyway, so it just feels natural for her to step in. Your fighting styles also compliment each other quite well - with you providing magical damage while she hits enemies hard with weapons.
-> [ Honestly… she won’t lie, she really enjoys when you take care of her. ] Karlach has been on her own for a long time and hasn’t really had the chance for someone else to pamper her. She’s so used to not relying on anyone that it almost feels a little foreign at first, having someone so lovingly dote on her. While it takes her a bit to get used to it, she ends up just totally melting whenever you do things for her, whether it be making her food, tending to her wounds, helping her pitch her tent, or (when she’s not literally scorching hot to the touch) cuddling her and holding her close when she craves physical touch.
-> [ Speaking of cooking - she absolutely loves trying anything you make! ] She has her preferences and favorites, but she’s still pretty adventurous when it comes to food. Whenever you try out a new recipe, she insists on being your taste tester. Sometimes meals get a little… “creative” due to the fact that the group is largely foraging for ingredients, though occasionally you’re able to buy some meat or artisan goods when you’re passing through a town or larger settlement. Karlach isn’t much help with the actual cooking itself, but she’s happy to go foraging with you. Four hands are better than two!
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tavyliasin · 7 months ago
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Disability Pride Month and BG3!
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It’s Disability Pride Month! And you know what that means, right? No? Well it has been ages and I’ve long been casually planning a series of short (maybe) essays around the parallels to disability - and the clearer disability representation - throughout Baldur’s Gate 3 in both the characters and the story. So what better month than this to finally work on them and bring them out?
Whilst I do have some personal lived experience with disability, this doesn’t account for every type of condition or all the ways that different disabilities affect so many of us. Two people with the same condition can have quite a different lived experience, and even the condition itself can vary significantly. So what I mean to say here, loves, is that if you have a differing opinion, or there’s something I’ve missed, or you’d just like to add your thoughts - please do just that! 
I welcome hearing from all of you about how you relate to the game through your own lived experiences, and what the characters can mean to you. Representation isn’t always clear, but honestly I think when we look closer we can see parts of all kinds of experiences reflected through the characters and story. So, what I intend to do is create a series of essays, looking in depth at the potential parallels we can see in each of the main companions that I’m most familiar with (unfortunately I don’t know Minthara well enough to include her in this, but I would welcome input from others!) and then perhaps some of the other characters. (Edit - all pieces completed for now, next year I may add more!) These pieces are not meant to be diagnostic in any way, or claiming “this character has this illness”, but instead is a look at how the characters and their stories and details can be similar to real world disability and health, and how different people might find ways to relate to their experiences through this.
Links to the Disability Discussion Posts
Karlach - Terminal Illness (Completed) Wyll - Sudden Physical Change (Traumatic Incident) (Completed) Gale - Chronic Illness, Autism (Completed) Astarion - Complex Needs, Specialised Diets, and Addiction (Completed) Lae’zel - Ableism, Eugenics, and More Neurodiversity (Completed) Shadowheart - Memory Difficulties, Depression, Fluctuating Chronic Pain (Completed) Halsin - Carer Fatigue and The End Of The Path Of Healing (Completed) Gortash - Invisible Disability and Visible Mobility Aids (Completed)
--- I'm not sure how quickly I'll get through posting these as I'm having a tough time with my own physical health right now - isn't that ironic? - but I do intend to get through at least this list by the end of July in between fic writing and other projects.
If you would like to suggest other characters, storylines, or disability related topics in BG3 please let me know! I'd love to hear how you all relate to the game and the characters from these angles too, and I might be willing to add things to this list if I can.
Lia's Disability Experience
As a little peek behind the curtain (and for full disclosure that I'm not an abled person here to talk over disabled experiences) without giving you too much of myself on the single plate, my lived experience is with an unpredictable chronic pain condition as well as a few other chronic illnesses and disability issues. I'm a wheelchair user, partially ambulatory (essentially I can shamble around in my home with assistance but outside the house I rely on my wheels), and my most prevalent symptom is constant pain. I have made vague references to these things in a few works and the experience does provide me with some fic inspiration for a couple of works. I'm far too familiar with Loviatar's embrace, but I feel this is something that can be used to my advantage at times like these where I can examine the characters and storylines from angles that abled people might not consider.
Your Input!
I really would love to hear from all of you - what other characters do you feel reflect some of the lived experiences of disabled people? Are there any that you connected to? Did you find the game was accessible for you to play as a disabled person? What do you wish you saw more of in the game or in games in general? This month really is an important one for awareness and understanding, as well as finding things in ourselves to be proud of that don't fall into the categories of "inspiration porn" or the kinds of internalised ableism that can drive some of us to push too hard to work against our conditions instead of with and around them leading to more issues.
Remember - The Disabled Community is the one minority that anyone could become a part of at any time. Advocating for our rights could also be advocating for your own future or that of a loved one.
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blackjackkent · 1 year ago
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Quick conversations with Shadowheart and Gale since they both got little exclamation points over their heads after the chat with Kagha.
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"I know that look. You're wondering why I was in pain before. Let's just clear the air about that now. It's just an old wound that hurts me from time to time. Nothing to be concerned about. It's nothing to do with the tadpoles at least, in case your imagination is in danger of getting away from you. It's just...something I have to live with."
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"Are you *sure* it's not connected to the tadpoles?"
"Positive. You can trust me on that."
"How badly does it hurt?"
"Quite a lot, if I'm being honest. But it always passes quickly, so I can manage."
"What's the story with that odd little artefact you have?"
"There's no story. None that you're entitled to hear, anyway. Just forget you ever saw it."
"What do you think of all that's happened to us so far?"
"We've been through quite a lot, with likely more to come. Care to narrow it down a little?"
"You must have thoughts about our little stowaways."
"Must I? Thinking about it won't help. We know what to do, so let's do it. Find a way to rid ourselves of these things. Personally, I think finding this 'Halsin' is our best bet. I'm not to hopeful that a gith creche will actually prove our salvation, but worth keeping in mind."
"What will you do, if we actually manage to remove the tadpoles?"
"I suppose we'd go our separate ways - not a slight on your company, of course."
"Where would you go?"
"Home. Baldur's Gate. There's someone waiting for me there. Someone I have to reach, as soon as possible."
"Seems personal. I won't pry, if it's not something you want to talk about."
"Thank you. And you're right, it's...a delicate matter. Not something for light conversation."
"How am I holding up, in your estimation?"
"I must admit, you've been a surprise, and not an unpleasant one. Kindred spirits are few and far between for me. Besides, you saved my life aboard the nautiloid. How can I do anything but sing your praises?"
"We should get to know each other a little more."
"Must we? No harm in a little mystery, don't you think?"
"You don't want to talk about yourself?"
"I should hope not. Have you ever heard the people who want to talk about themselves? I'm doing you a favor."
"You're deflecting. Are you hiding something from me?"
"Say for a moment that I was. Do you think your blunt approach would get me to confess?"
"I suppose not. We can let the matter rest for now, if you'd rather."
"Good. I like you, and you did save my life. I wouldn't want to sour things between us - not while we need each other."
Interesting. It is mindbogglingly clear that she is hiding something, or many somethings; I suspect Hector's told them all most of his history at the monastery but he knows VERY little about her in return, and she's making it plain she wants to keep it that way. In return - Hector is cautious about her.
I was a little worried that Hector and Caden were both too similar in their attitude of general kindness and generosity but Hector definitely does not have Caden's almost naive instant trust of everyone he meets. He is just a little too far out of his depth to feel like he can let his guard down with someone who won't do the same. He likes Gale and Wyll quite a lot but Shadowheart and Astarion have some work to do before they earn his trust - and Lae'zel had it but has pissed in her chili so she has a long way to go.
--
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"Tiring business, isn't it? All this travelling and adventuring. Why don't we take a little break? Allow ourselves a few moments of rest. Gives me a chance to talk to you about something, well, rather important."
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"'Rather important', no less? All right, go ahead."
"We've been on the road together for a while now, haven't we? Survived some perils, overcame some obstacles. Ever since you were kind enough to free me from that stone, I've seen you demonstrate remarkable guile and courage. The way you defused the tension between Zevlor and Aradin. The way you got Kagha to release the girl. In short: I've grown to trust you."
"That's very gratifying to hear."
"The reason I make a point of saying this is that I've grown confident enough to tell you something I've yet to tell another living soul. Except for my cat. You see, I have this...condition. Very different from the parasite we share, but just as deadly."
"What kind of condition?"
"The specifics are rather personal, but suffice it to say that it is a malady I have learned to live with, though not without some effort. What it comes down to is this: every so often I need to get my hands on a powerful magical item and absorb the Weave inside."
"Your illness causes you to consume raw magic? I'm going to need the details."
"I can say no more on the matter. Not now, anyway. Just trust me when I say it's all of vital importance. It's been days since I last consumed an artefact - since before we were abducted. It's only a matter of time before my craving returns. That is why I turn to you. I need you to help me find magic items to consume. It is vital. Dare I say it, critical."
"Where do you suggest we find the artefacts you need?"
"We've already done the finding. In fact, you have one in your possession. You know for yourself how hard won such an item was, and it will be no easier when even more are required to assuage my hunger. There will be danger involved - or great cost."
"Why exactly would I risk either of those things for a wizard I barely know?"
"Valid question. If not out of the simple goodness of your heart, then perhaps your own self-interest might be sufficient motivation. Having a wizard like me around is quite the boon when facing the perils that stalk these lands. It will be far harder for me to assist you if I can barely stand upright. Please - trust me. Your help could be the difference between life and death."
[WISDOM] Use your tadpole. Seek the danger at the heart of Gale's request.
Narrator: You become one with Gale's mind, and you can feel something sinister oppressing you. It's...inside of you, a mighty darkness radiating from your chest. You could try to push further, but your hold over Gale feels brittle. It won't be easy delving deeper without him noticing.
Decide not to risk it.
"So? Do you agree?"
"Very well. I'll help you manage this condition of yours."
"Thank you. I see my trust in you was not misplaced! I'm sure we won't have to look very far to find what I need: Faerun overflows with magic-infused treasure. As do our packs, as a matter of fact. We've such an item already in our possession, primed for the moment the need arises. I hope I can count on you."
Hm. Well, okay, he did trust Gale fully right up until this moment. I think I am discovering that other than cruelty the other thing Hector hates most is people keeping secrets. I think a secretive nature isn't really something he ever had to deal with at the monastery and it unsettles him considerably.
Very curious what's up with this "condition" since there's clearly more to it than Gale is telling us. But nevertheless - it feels important that all the tadpole-ites stick together for now, so Hector will do his best to keep him functioning as needed.
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