#just the same as shadowheart is a dark justiciar | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

powdermelonkeg · 5 months

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just saw ur gale/mystra analysis post. im new to the game and dnd lore and honestly… ur take on their relationship feels like the most natural/compelling one??? esp since its all too easy to simplify topics that have many facets and nuance….

thanks for sharing i love analysis and reading people’s takes on narratives : D

My pleasure! (Bee from the future here: congrats, you spawned another meta!)

I love complicated characters, WAY more than I like a clear cut-and-dry case. Flaws, to me, are what make a character compelling and lead to interesting stories about them with choices that can get them into situations. I'm both writing a fanfic and running a campaign where I'm playing as Gale, and in the interest of portraying him properly and in-character, I've gone into SUCH a deep dive into all the decisions and facts that make him him.

It helps to, y'know, also be in love with the fictional wizard, but I digress

The thing about Baldur's Gate 3 is that no character in there is perfect. I've seen a couple analyses about the theme of continuing cycles of abuse vs breaking out of them, but in my mind, in terms of the characters themselves, it goes like this:

The origin characters have just come out of the lowest situation of their lives (Lae'zel being the exception; being tadpoled is a gith's worst nightmare. You're seeing that lowest situation in real time).

Not the lowest point, mind. Gale's lowest was probably the day after he got the Orb. Wyll's was probably the day his father cast him out. Karlach's was the day she lost her heart. But the lowest, accepted normal for them is what they've just left.

They're then thrown out of their depth and forced to rely on you to live. That's #1 priority: living. We get the extremes of these characters before we get their nuances, because they're quite literally at their breaking points.

Then once we get to know them, we see their wants, their hopes, their fears, as they open up to us. Every companion's story is at their own pace, but they all have a moment where they ping-pong between despondency and desire. Sometimes that desire is what we know isn't good for them, like Shadowheart wanting to be a Dark Justiciar. Sometimes that despondency is only for a flicker, like Astarion's realization that he's condemned 7000 people to a half-life of tortured spawnhood for as long as he's been a vampire.

Romance lets us crack all that open more, because if you pursue a romantic partner, they see you as their closest confidant. They WANT to trust you, so they're more willing to explain how they see the world and what decisions they want to chase.

And then their endings. Those often get simplified as good/bad, continuing the cycle vs breaking away from it. But how is Duke Wyll on the same platform as Ascended Astarion? He's not evil, he's not even entirely unhappy. He might even have broken out of his abusive cycle with Mizora, if you played your cards right. And Ascended Astarion is overjoyed, even if he is remarkably more cold.

I think that the endings are less a dichotomy of "this is good for them" vs "this is bad for them," and more one of "bringing out their best traits" vs "bringing out their worst."

Wyll's worst trait is being willing to sacrifice his own wants for whatever people desire of him. His best is standing for what he believes in and ensuring people are safe. Duke Wyll leans into that necessity to turn the other cheek in the name of people who count on him, while the Blade of Avernus has seized that moral compass of his and forged it out of mithral.

Shadowheart's worst trait is blind obedience at the cost of her individuality, while her best is her desire to be kind to things that don't deserve to be hurt. Mother Superior Shadowheart's whole life is defined by Shar. Selûnite Shadowheart's life is defined by her hospitality, especially towards animals.

Karlach's worst trait is how willing she is to accept that things are (to quote her) fucked, letting despair override hope. Her best is her durability in the face of horror. Exploded Karlach would rather die than try to work out a solution in the Hells, because she's terrified of facing Zariel alone. Mindflayer Karlach has accepted her fate and decides to give up her heart and soul to go out a hero, losing who she is. Fury of Avernus Karlach is willing to keep fighting for a solution, and by the time the epilogue happens, she's got her sights set on one.

Astarion's worst trait is his desire for power over people. His best trait is using the tools he has to his advantage. Ascended Astarion has let his powerhungry nature and paranoia lead all of his decisions, with his sights set on dominating mankind. Spawn Astarion has embraced what he is, and carved out a life for himself where he can do as he pleases.

Lae'zel's worst trait is her blind fanaticism, while her best trait is her individual dedication, making her loyalty a marriage of the two. Ascended Lae'zel is a meal for the lich queen, turning a blind eye to all Vlaakith's tried to do to her and literally being consumed by her fervor. Champion of Orpheus Lae'zel has turned her loyalty into something productive for diplomacy. Faerûnian Lae'zel has seized her individuality by the throat and decided her own future.

And then Gale. Gale's worst traits are his hubris and, paradoxically, his low self worth. His best traits are his creativity and wonder for the world. God Gale is the embodiment of ambition, having burned away all but that in pursuit of perfection. Exploded Gale has let his remorse blot out all hope for a redemption in which he does not die, because he thinks he's earned it. Professor Gale leads his life by embracing the school of Illusion and letting his creativity thrive, teaching others to do the same. House Husband Gale has multiple creative projects he's working on, and Adventurer Gale is always finding new sights to see and wanting to share them with you.

There are arguments to be made on which ending the origins are happiest in, certainly, or which one benefits them the most, but each ending represents the extreme of a facet they possess.

So with all that, there's a sort of malleable method to figuring out the ins and outs of a character.

You take their endings—all of them, all variables they can have—and reverse-engineer the flaws and details they carry. Then you start to notice how those work into their approvals for minor things: Astarion approving of your taking of the Blood of Lathander, or Shadowheart approving of standing up for Arabella. Getting a list of approvals and disapprovals is helpful, but having those endings on hand tells you why they react like that to a majority of their decisions.

You take their romance-route explanations of how they act, and apply those to earlier decisions. Astarion's confession to manipulating you and Araj-prompted admittance to using himself as a tool brings to light how he reacts to your decisions, regardless of his actual opinions on them. Wyll's fairytale romance and love of poetic adages speaks to his idealistic nature, and why he takes a sometimes-blinded approach to decisions in which the "right" answer isn't always the smart one.

You take their beginning reactions to stress and use that to measure how future decisions impact them. Lae'zel locks down and gets snappy when she's scared, while Gale immediately turns to diplomacy. Shadowheart has gallows humor, while Wyll turns to quiet acceptance. If they break from these and seem even worse, you know the situation is more dire in their minds than having seven days to live.

And then you factor in all their fun facts and dialogue choices and backstories.

A wizard falls in love with a goddess and her magic, attempts to retrieve a piece of her power for her, is scorned for his attempt and is cursed to die.

Give that backstory to a Tav. Look at how it changes.

A chaotic good wizard fell in love with a goddess, thought retrieving a piece of power for her would be a showy bouquet of love, and was punished for not thinking things through.

A lawful evil wizard fell in love with a goddess's power, snatched the most precious thing she owned, tried to use it to barter his way through to the secrets she kept, and was given a swift retribution.

Same backstory. Same class, same act, same goddess. Wildly different connotations. Wildly different conclusions as to who is in the wrong.

If you take all there is to Gale, all that the game shows us makes up his character, and apply it to this backstory, you get what really happened:

A wizard, enamored with magic, fell in love with a goddess. His desires led him to want more than she was willing to give. In his well-buried fear of inadequacy, he concluded that the reason she wouldn't indulge his ambitions was because he just hadn't proven himself worthy enough. So he tried to prove himself, but he lacked the context for what he was proving himself with. And the goddess, seeing a weapon that had killed her predecessor, saw this ambitious wizard as losing his way and coming for her just like the weapon's creator had. She was angry, she withdrew his link to her, and he didn't know why. So he drew the conclusion that she took his powers to punish him, and let that encompass his fall from grace.

Was he wrong to reach for what was out there?

If you knew that the answers to everything you cared about were not only known, but kept by someone you loved—someone who adored you—what would you do to ask to see them? What if your curiosities were if there were other planets with life out there, or how dark matter worked, or whether or not we could one day travel in the stars? What if it was the potential cure to an illness that's little-understood, or the way to make a program you dreamt up, or the scope of the true limits of your artistic talents? Would your answer change?

Was she wrong to cut him off?

If you were once hurt, and the person you loved—the person who adored you—brought the thing that caused it to your door, believing you'd want it, how would you react to seeing it? What if that thing was someone you thought you'd broken contact with, like a friend or family member you'd been trying to avoid? Would your answer change?

That's the sort of scope that needs to be applied to this, on both sides. You have to take the perspectives of each party, and apply two analogies instead of one.

Gale saw the vastness of the universe, untold wonders, the solution to every question he could ever dream up, and saw Mystra as withholding this from him because she thought he just wasn't worthy enough. To claim Mystra knew his perspective does her a disservice.

Mystra saw a cruel weapon she thought long gone, in the hands of someone who could use it, brought right to her, and thought Gale was willingly following the path of Karsus. To claim Gale knew her perspective does him a disservice.

Should Gale have researched his prize more, so he knew just what he was obtaining? Should he have kept his hands off a cursed book that would devour him? Of course he should have.

Should he have given up on chasing his dreams?

Should Mystra have understood that Gale's pursuit of power was nothing like Karsus'? Should she have communicated when she was angry instead of giving the cold shoulder? Of course she should have.

Should she have given him the benefit of the doubt?

That's the root of their falling out. That's what leads to hurt being inflicted. Understandable, human reactions to the situations they perceive. Unhealthy, unwise choices made afterwards.

You work backwards from this to figure out their dynamic as Chosen and goddess. You work forward from this to understand more of where Gale and Mystra are during the events of Baldur's Gate 3. Gale reached too high, and understands this. His goddess hates him, and he regrets this. Mystra isolated Gale, and understands this. Her Chosen wants redemption, and she wants to make it happen.

Just like we took Gale's character into account, we also have to take Mystra's.

A goddess is faced with a problem. She uses someone who's desperate for approval to solve it, by telling him to kill himself.

An evil goddess is faced with a threat to her reign. She sees someone who's unfailingly loyal and hates himself, and elects to have him tear himself apart rather than do anything about it.

A good goddess is terrified of the future. She sees someone who tried to hurt her, who's going to die anyways, and tells him to use it to save the world.

Same story. Same act, same power, same pawn. Different character. Different perspective. Different outlook on whether or not this is the right thing to do.

Mystra has died, multiple times, to people trying to stake claim to her domain. Someone appears with the very thing that could do it again, right as she's regained her stability.

She does not see mortals the way mortals do. She is timeless. She is eternal. She has a duty to protect billions of people, and one person lost to protect that number is more than worth the sacrifice.

People like to bring up the Seven Sisters as proof of Mystra's cruelty. For those unaware, Mystra asked permission to, then possessed, a woman, used her to court a man (with dubious consent from the woman), and bore seven children, all of whom were capable of bearing Mystra's power as Chosen without dying. The woman she possessed was killed in the process (reduced to no more than a husk, then slain by her now-husband, hoping to end her suffering), and the husband was horrified by the whole story.

Mystra needed Chosen in order to restore herself in the event that she was killed again, to prevent magic as a whole from collapsing and wreaking havoc on the mortal realm, like it had in the few seconds Mystryl had been dead. Elminster, Khelben Blackstaff, and the Seven Sisters contributed to this. The more Chosen she has, the better; what happens if Elminster dies? She can't afford to have all her eggs in one basket.

Mystra has Volo (yeah, that Volo) as a Weave Anchor, imparted with a portion of her power to prevent the Weave from shredding itself to pieces in her absence. All Chosen of Mystra are Weave Anchors by nature. The creation of Weave Anchors was mandated by Ao, the Overgod, and Chosen are the best way to make sure those anchors aren't drained by ambitious people hoping for godlike power. Chosen can, and will, defend themselves, unlike static locations (which Mystra also has). The anchors are why the Weave wasn't completely obliterated during Mystra's last death, when the Spellplague rose up, because they stabilized the Weave around them.

Everything Mystra does is in the name of the big picture, to prevent a catastrophe like the fall of Netheril from happening again. Her restriction of magic, her numerous Chosen, her creation of Weave Anchors, her destruction of those who would claim her power, it's all in the name of the stability she's been charged with. Dornal Silverhand's grief and Elué Silverhand's death, while regrettable, were worth it to bring seven more anchors into existence to save all of the Material.

So someone appears with the Crown of Karsus, potentially powerful enough to try to kill the other gods in the name of the Dead Three. She can't risk being a target of them. She can't risk the destruction of magic again.

Gale is going to die. He lives in fear. He begs for forgiveness.

In Mystra's eyes, she's offering him the best outcome. She'll let him die in service to her, to save Faerûn, and she'll forgive him. He's going to die anyways, and if he does this, she'll give him everything (she thinks) he could ever want in her realm. She's asking him to do what (she thinks) is the right thing.

"She would consider what she considers to be forgiveness."

Notably, she leaves the decision in his hands. She doesn't have Elminster lead him to the Nether Brain. She doesn't activate him as soon as he's there. When he lives yet, she doesn't revoke the charm that keeps him stable. And when he declines, when he lets it go and starts pursuing Karsus' path, she doesn't smite him on the spot.

She is (she thinks) being incredibly patient. If Gale is going to try to be Karsus II, she's ready for him. If he decides to walk off and keep the Orb, he's dug his own grave in the Fugue Plane (those who don't have a god to claim them roam endlessly as husks and form a wall of bodies around the City of Judgement).

From her perspective, she's not being unreasonable. But from the perspective of a mortal, she absolutely is.

"Now, I have a question for thee: what is the worth of a single mortal's life?"

This is a question she cannot answer properly.

I think a lot of characterization is lost whenever someone paints one of them as being totally in the right. But I also think you have to be invested in them as characters to want to see that characterization. If you want to write about Mystra, you have to try to get into her head, analyze the decisions she made, figure out why she thinks she was right, and follow the pattern.

Gale's sacrifice is a very predictable thing for her to ask for.

#bg3 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #mystra #long post #like really long post holy hells #did not expect this to go on for this long #swearing tw #< for karlach #oh yeah #astarion #karlach #wyll ravengard #shadowheart #lae'zel #ask bee

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parvulous-writings · 5 months

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no idea if nail polish exists in the 5e world, but it does now. how about a chill day for the companions where everyone does their nails? or is tav/durge doing the painting for everyone?

Summary: Camp has a nail day!

Warnings: Minor spoilers for Shadowheart's various arcs, same for Karlach. One swear word.

Notes: if it doesn't exist, it sure as hell does now! Also apologies that this took so long - New year is a busy time at work, and I've got a minor injury with my hand, so I'm working as fast as I can, but it's a little slower than normal!

I've included all the recruitable companions, besides Minthara, who is not included purely because I cannot accurately write for her just yet!

My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist! Original character list - please request for these too!

Not my image

Time on the road where everyone is able to relax is very scarce commodity, so when it does crop up, you're always the first to suggest grabbing it by the horns and making the most out of the day - not by training, or planning your next moves, but typically with something more laid back.

You're camping close to Rivington when you get the first day-long break in weeks, so that morning you venture into town to have a quick browse of the stalls; perhaps you can find some food that will remind the various Baldurians in camp of their home? As you're starting to make your way back to camp, something catches you eye - a nail polish kit, going for quite cheap. You can hardly restrain yourself from buying it- you already know that it will bring a lot of much needed joy into camp.

Astarion is quite intrigued when you announce the spoils you've returned with. For too long he's craved petty vanity again; and even if he can only get it from painting his nails, he's willing to grasp at that chance. "What's this?" He hums, peering over your shoulder, trying to get a good look at all the colours that the kit contains, as well as the equipment. The first thing he does, given the chance, is start tending to his nails - cleaning under them, pushing back the cuticles, trimming and filing them into shape, the works. He spares no time making sure that everything is as he envisions. Sure, the colours he eventually settles on may not match the rest of his armour, but his new manicure matches his more comfortable clothes, so that's good enough for him.

Gale is... Unsure if this is the right kind of thing for your journey. "We have many more pressing matters to worry about, besides our appearances." He practically grumbles to you. "Might I suggest actually focusing on planning our next move?" It doesn't actually take a lot to convince him to sit down and let him do one hand of nails on him. You paint his nails a lovely shade of dark navy blue, which looks black in the shade, but blue when hit by light. You start speckling dots of white here and there to make them mirror the night sky, when Gale tells you he'd like to do his other hand himself. Of course, you let him, and about twenty minutes later, he's back to proudly show you his work. It's a lot shakier than the side you had done, but he looks so proud of himself for being able to emulate your skill even a little bit, you don't even nitpick in a teasing way. When it inevitably starts to chip away, he's absolutely devastated, but doesn't say anything until you all get an opportunity to rest properly again.

Justiciar!Shadowheart instantly dives for the black varnish. Nothing more, and nothing else. She doesn't dwell on it, but in some vain way, she feels like she's carrying a part of her goddess' revered darkness with her, even if it will chip away eventually. That just reminds her that everything on this plane is fleeting, and finite, always eventually consumed by loss. Selunite!Shadowheart adds a little more colour to her nails - dots of white, or purple are incorporated, intricate little designs that pay homeage to both her life as a Sharran, and her family heritage as Selunites. She takes great pride in the designs she makes, and often spends a very long time making sure that they are just like how she imagines in her head.

Lae'zel doesn't particularly like painting her nails - she feels it takes away from her aura of formidable warrior. She will, however, sharpen her nails on a regular basis - just as a back-up plan if she loses her weapon, or perhaps gets caught by surprise and needs to scratch out some eyeballs.

Karlach pre-upgrade loves to watch you do your nails. As in, she will actively sulk if you don't let her watch, or have some tiny level of input. She'll huff and pout, but eventually goes to sit elsewhere with a quiet "fine, whatever.." Post-upgrade Karlach is so eager to have her nails done, she's bouncing back and forth on her feet. She can't decide on a single colours - especially not by herself. "They all look so pretty!" She exclaims, waving her hands about in glee. So, unable to make a decision, she takes her favourite colours, and has all of them on her fingers - repeating a similar process on her toes with her second favourite colours. "This is the best thing we have ever done! ... Besides beating the shit out of Thorm... so, the second best thing!"

Wyll tidies his nails - similar to Astarion. He wants them to be a much nicer shape than they have been up to this point - makeshift files had not been too kind on his nails, and he was tired of catching them on things. He takes great care in shaping them and removing any chips or quicks - it's an activity he takes great pride in, and he'll happily do the same for you if you ask him to! As for colour, Wyll likes to go for a clear coat, purely for protecting his nails; though he has been known to paint his nails black, for dramatic effect. He loves his nails - not to the point that he preens them at any given moment, but enough to give them the time and care they need to keep healthy.

Halsin doesn't particularly like the idea of polish. Sure, it looks pretty, but he'd rather not wear it himself - there are other ways, he's found, that you can change the colour of your nails. (When you ask him what he means, or even to just elaborate a little bit more on how he knows this, he simply replies with "I once had a... Somewhat rebellious streak in my youth.") So it's likely that the only thing that he uses in this particular kit is the file and buffer - which looks absolutely tiny in his hands, it's quite funny.

Minsc doesn't do his own nails - at all. He won't even file them, he just either bites them or they snap off (usually it's the former). Instead, he takes care of Boo's claws. "Now, now, my friend. Do not call me strange - if I do not care for Boo's mighty claws, then who will? The paws of justice must be well cared for!" Insists that every few days he must re-file and re-buff Boo's nails, and will not take no for an answer. He also tries to convince you that Boo is trying to tell you the same, but by the way the little rodent's head shakes when he sits on Minsc's shoulder tells you otherwise.

Jaheira almost laughs when you suggest doing her nails. She wants to them herself, but, eventually she does ask you to help her. "It seems I'm a little out of practice.." She chuckles. "Perhaps some company wouldn't be so bad... If your offer still stands, of course." She LOVES having green nails. Sage green is her favourite, but she likes all of them really. Sometimes, if she's feeling particularly happy, she'll let you paint little golden leaves on her thumb - but that can be a rare occasion, because she doesn't want such skill to always go to waste.

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naughtybg3confessions · 13 days

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Doing a Shadowheart/Tav/Halsin run has honestly changed something in me. I just can't get over how beautiful it is that they can go from a kneejerk animosity between a Sharran and druid who fought Dark Justiciars at Reithwin, to potentially lovers.

........ I also can't stop thinking about my Tav gently helping her as she struggles to take Halsin's massive cock. He'd stroke her thighs, praise her for doing so well and being so good for them, murmur sweet nothings in her ear as her legs shake with the effort not to crumple in Halsin's lap, and once her legs do give out, they'd both help her fuck herself on Halsin's cock... And, once the druid pumps her full of cum, it's Tav's turn, and he can eat it out of her and taste the pleasure of both his lovers at the same time. While he gets pounded within an inch of his life.

#dirty confessions #shadowheart #halsin silverbough #polyamory

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bhaalbaaby · 7 months

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How do you think the companions would react to Tav being a virgin with intimacy issues?

oooh. i have thought about this before with one of my tavs, but never fully fleshed it out, so here are some headcanons for you ♥

gale would be understanding and wouldn't force tav to do anything they're uncomfortable with. he wouldn't want to push any boundaries. if anything, he'd take it as an opportunity to woo tav with small romantic gestures like holding hands and sitting near each other at camp. he also may make a wizard joke about virginity and something about his first time to try to help ease their discomfort. he would also find books with similar premises and read them to tav. he would be very gentle with them if they decided to sleep with him for the first time, making sure they're comfortable and again not wanting to push them out of their comfort zone.

wyll also would be understanding. he is willing to wait until the end of time so long as tav is comfortable. he would be a gentleman towards tav, giving them gifts and trinkets that reminded him of them. he'd like to take them on strolls around the camp and anywhere calm area they find while adventuring, maybe even picnicking and reading sonnets he wrote about them. while i don't think wyll has intimacy issues of his own, i do think after talking to tav, they would come to an understanding that they would wait until a very special moment happens when everything feels right. he would have to tamper down his excitement to make sure he doesn't cross any lines, but it would be an enjoyable time for better times to come.

lae'zel wouldn't understand it at first since it's just physical actions. she wouldn't coerce tav, seeing it as failed lay. however if she sees them still attempting to woo her, she'd allow it since she sees them trying to chase her. this would be a lot of communication between lae'zel and tav as lae'zel has her own intimacy issues since she saw it as a priority. she'd try her best to understand her partner after a bit of convincing since she will be pent up on her own. if tav decides to sleep with lae'zel for the first time, it would require even more communication and groundwork/rules so it would be comfortable for tav and lae'zel would learn that even softness can be erotic and enjoyable.

shadowheart would use this information as blackmail should it come to that with an 'understanding' ear, relating because she cannot remember her first time. she'd mostly see them as a friend she shared a potential wine-drunk kiss with. she would try to build up their intimacy by asking them to meditate with her and try to get them to talk about why they think they may have intimacy issues/wait to have sex, but this time just as knowledge instead of blackmail. she wouldn't want to make them do anything either since she is focused on her mission. after her mission depending on the choices, dark justiciar shadowheart would want to 'cure' tav of their 'ailment' to help them process and move forward, not so they can sleep together, but truly out of the goodness of her heart. selunite shadowheart would be ready to sleep with tav whenever as part of her new path of accepting her fears and would hope they would be comfortable enough with her to do the same.

karlach would want to help tav the best she could, knowing how it is wanting to do something like that, but not be able to. they would find non-touching ways to show intimacy (mostly out of necessity) but it would help build their bond and ease any insecurities tav may be harboring since physicalities are out of the way for now. once they can touch, karlach has to keep herself together like wyll since as excited as she is, she doesn't want to alienate her partner by wanting to have sex right away and she also doesn't want to disappoint them by being their first when she's 'out of practice.' when they do have sex, it's very passionate as karlach lets tav take the lead on what they do and how they do it, stopping if things get overwhelming.

astarion wouldn't know what to do with tav at first since his plan would fall apart immediately. he wouldn't want to force himself on them since he isn't compelled to and wouldn't want to put his safety at risk by doing that either. so he plays the long game, seeing what tav likes and dislikes. he will butter them up with compliments and pick up lines that work in the past while allowing them into his space without expecting anything in return. since he feeds on them, it's easier if they share bedrolls which is a lot for the both of them. tav at first prefers to have their rolls next to each other so there's a closeness, but still a barrier and so astarion doesn't disturb their rest since he doesn't sleep/meditate for too long. but slowly they get down to one bedroll and sharing body space becomes more common even if sex is not happening. by the time this happens however, astarion makes the decision that he himself is not ready for that type of relationship with tav, not wanting to feel the ick that he has when it comes to sex. if astarion stays a spawn, he will still take his time when it comes to tav and moving forward with sex. he is fine with small things like kisses and will start small with foreplay until they are both comfortable with going all the way. ascended astarion would not have the time and energy for tav. he would hold it over their head that since they are bound to him, so is their body. i don't think he would compel them to sleep with him, but he definitely would bring it up more often than tav would be comfortable with.

halsin would be understanding with tav, praising them for at least being upfront and honest about their situation. he knows it's not easy to have intimacy issues as he has his own. If he senses tav is interested in him, he would be respectful of their boundaries, widdle trinkets while they have time near each other. he would also try to find something in nature similar to tav in hopes of them understanding they are not alone. if they choose him, he would try his best to contain himself as he knows the bear form would be absolutely too much for tav even if they think it wouldn't.

minthara wouldn't understand unless it was a reason caused by someone else because she would vow to end the person who caused harm to tav and caused their issues. if it doesn't stem from that, it would take her mind a little bit to understand why tav has waited and their issues. she would wait until they're ready and hope it wouldn't affect how tav is out on the battlefield. as the two get closer, she would be more willing to spend time with them by showing her culture if they aren't drow or duegar, and just spend time with them the best they could. if they choose her for their first time, it would be an intense, but enjoyable time. i don't know how she would react to a drow male having these issues however. i think she would have to do a lot of self-reevaluating and reprogramming her mind from lolth to be able to accept them and move forward.

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bladesmitten · 7 months

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Origin Shadowheart has some unique dialogue options for Wyll's act 3 romance scene:

Wyll: I love you. Will you be mine - today, and tomorrow, and reaching into eternity?

Justiciar SH choices:

Eternity will yield to Lady Shar's darkness, eventually. If you are content to share me with her... I accept.

Lady Shar may not approve of such a commitment... but you can make it up to her, surely. Take the acorn.

I'm not sure I can promise eternity - Lady Shar demands fealty... this is a lot to take in.

Enemy of Shar SH choices:

Sometimes I feel like I never had a yesterday. But that doesn't mean I can't have a tomorrow. Yes, I am yours.

I'm not sure I can promise you that much. After Shar, I need to live my own life. This is a lot to take in.

The "I'm not sure" response leads to this:

Wyll: It is. I swear, I've lived a thousand lives since I've known you. But I'm ready to live a thousand more, if you can bear me.

Justiciar SH: I am Lady Shar's - she will always come first. But if you are content to share me with her... I accept.

Enemy of Shar SH: Bear you? My life didn't start until we met. Of course I want to be with you.

There's also a unique line for Justiciar SH to offer a night together instead of committing to marriage:

SH: I cannot promise you eternity - I belong to Lady Shar. But even she will not begrudge me tonight, if you wish...

Which of course leads to a DC 20 Persuasion roll, and the responses are the same just like with regular Tav.

#.txt #baldur's gate 3 #shadowheart #wyll #wyll ravengard #shadowheart x wyll #wyll x shadowheart #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #*

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autistichalsin · 17 days

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Hello! I hope you're doing well!

First of all, thank you so much for the video with Kiaran and Halsin's romance. Now I have a clear picture of their relationship. There's a question I've been wanting to ask for a while. Among the origin companions, who do you think would be the most ideally suited for Halsin?

All of my friends had different answers and arguments, and I would really love to hear your thoughts. If you don't see any of them with Halsin - that's an answer too! And I will accept it!

Of course! I was so excited to share it with those of you who love Kiaran. <3

For Origins, I know I have an agenda, but I truly think it would be Karlach. They're warm and kind and have some of the sweetest party banters. Halsin needs Karlach's passion and Karlach needs Halsin's calm. They both have the same background- Outlander- and very similar values. (Any action that earns approval from one will almost always earn the approval of the other and vice-versa).

I have my issues with the romanced ending for Halsin and Karlach (he's the only one besides Dark Justiciar Shadowheart who won't go to Avernus with her, and after patch 5, I do understand why better than before it, but I still feel it could have been written to show Halsin having more guilt/conflict and comforting Karlach more. Like, there's a line where you can tell him "I don't know if I can [go to Avernus]. Not alone." and Halsin replies "do what you must, as shall I." Which just... doesn't make it sound like Halsin understands what is being said.) HOWEVER, issues aside, one thing that I absolutely shamelessly adore about the romanced Karlach route?

Normally, there's only one way to get Halsin to say he loves you, and it's an awful way; by manipulating him, repeatedly saying you want to break up and then changing your mind, until he says "why would you test my patience like this? Sometimes, it is difficult to love you." But with Karlach? If you poly-romance Halsin and someone else, there's a line (I don't know if it is still accessible in the game at this point because of all the changes, but it's definitely still in the datamined script and there is audio recorded for it, so I will consider it canon) where as you start to burn up on the docks, Halsin softly says, "stay with us, Karlach. Stay with the ones who love you."

So Karlach is the only one he'll say he loves without being manipulated, which balances out the issue with their ending.

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ravel-puzzlewell · 7 months

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can we talk about shadowheart tho. her writing absolutely baffles me. like. when she admits she's shar's cleric, she gives u a speech about how shar is misunderstood and that like she's all about exposing bad ppl, toppling corrupt governments, using shady methods to get shit done, etc.

cool, so she believes that shar achieves good goals, so like. to me it seemed that her arc would be about realizing how it's not true, becoming disillusioned in shar, cue good old thats me in the corner losing my religion etc etc

and it just never happens? like we see a lot of evil shit shar has done all over the place and shadowheart never questions it, never even tries to rationalize the answers to keep her faith, its like she just doesn't care. and we as a player can't confront her either, we can't say shadowheart do you think shar successfully utilized girlpower when she cursed entire region with radioactive shadows and split it's spirit in half? instead we find like. shar's torture device secret chamber and shadowheart goes awww i wanna be a dark justiciar so baaaaaad

and then. then at culmination, at scene where she's deciding to kill aasimar or not, you can't give her arguments. you can't be like look at everything that shar has done all over this place, do you still believe this is for greater good? what greater good can justify this? what higher purpose is there in senselessly killing a prisoner again and again?

no you can only say like. you can't allow your goddess to control you! what do you meeean. like??? this isn't how faith works. clerics supposed to like. BELIEVE in the same things their god does. so far shadowheart was pro-everything shar-related she saw. she's like. enthusiastically into it. even if she's brainwashed, she still very much WANTED to be dark justiciar. and now it's all - oh, its shar "controlling" her. like. Shadowheart even said that shar's head nun or whatever told her that she isn't ready to become dark justiciar. This is very much shadowheart's own initiative. Why is it framed around like listening to yourself, instead of changing BELIEFS?

and THEN. after she doesn't kill. aasimar says. "Don't you find it oh so curious you would spurn your Dark lady? Perhaps you feel a stirring of the truth already" and then later reveal that shadowheart was like. selunite kidnapped by shar ppl. and this is why she didn't kill aasimar. WHICH??

like apparently shadowheart is the first to show mercy in a century not because she had a chance to live outside of cult for a while, meet and befriend new people and broaden her worldview, realizing her cults doctrine is false. no no no. she did it bc she's just INHERENTELY a good person. she just like. had intrusive thoughts urging her to be good. she just needed listen to herself. bc she's actually a selunite and not sharran. and like, all other dark justiciar apparently are just inherently evil and it was never possible for them to choose not to kill.

like how do you take a perfectly serviceable narrative about cult member escaping brainwashing due to being able to socialize outsife of her cult and instead make it about Selunite essentialism.

#brainworms gate #there are two genders selune and shar #and evil shar endocrinologists are just waiting to kidnap innocent selunite children and turn them into sharrans #but their true selunite nature will always prevail~~~~

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sorcerous-caress · 8 months

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Wondering if we could get a short fic of being dark justiciar shadowheart's pet following the short prompt you wrote earlier. Would be cool to see how she tortures prisoners and treats tav like her pet (dom and sexually) - Shadowheart anon

Pearly Collar | Shadowheart

[ dark content, smut, objectification, humiliation, exhibitionism, pet play, nb!reader ]

"Don't lag behind. We have a very busy schedule for today." The harsh tug on your leash made you whine against the gag on your mouth.

The cold stones of Shar's temple became a very familiar sight to you, crawling behind your mistress on your hands and knees. Put on full display for everyone's eyes to bear witness to your humiliation.

Well, not that they could dare to say a word, Shadowheart made a very clear example of the last person who dared to utter your name on their lips. Their screams echoed through these same halls for days.

Ever since she took over Viconia's position, ever since she was granted the favour of Shar, she made it her personal mission to reduce you to nothing but the perfect picture of an obedient pet.

The hero of Baldur's gate, her very own personal toy.

Something changed in her. The death of the immortal nightsong shifted Shadowheart's whole being.

Did you ever stop and consider the consequences when you stepped into that pool? When you didn't sway her hand away as she held the spear so close to the moon daughter herself.

You can't even remember what went through your brain at that time.

The passing of time was irrelevant down here. You don't get the luxury of natural sunlight this deep underground. Darkness needs to find a way to fester away from the surface.

And that darkness has become your own home whether you like it or not, your fate stopped being yours to command ever since Shadowheart entered your life.

While long ago, armours and magical artifacts cladded your body, weapons, and staffs of forgotten realms aiding you in battle. That reality ceased to exist with your new life in this temple.

Only allowing you to wear those sets of lacey black lingerie she handpicked for you. Adorned in black diamonds and dark pearls, much like your own collar.

Not that walking around naked would've been much different, really, your clothes left very little to the imagination. If anything, it was very generous wording to even call them clothes.

Like a doll almost, she had to have her hands on you whenever she wished. Toy with your most intimate parts and indulge her every whim.

You see, clothes were something reserved for actual people. You weren't any of that to her, not anymore.

After all, what do you even need clothes for? She told you, all you're good for is warming her bed.

As you arrived in front of the giant marble door, two masked guards stood watch. Opening the door for Shadowheart as they bowed in reverence, even as you were dragged behind her inside.

She took a seat on the throne-like chair in the middle of the room, parting her legs to make space for you between them.

And just like any good pet, you obeyed as you crawled between her knees, resting your head on her exposed soft thigh. Her hand coming down to pet your head, teasingly tugging at your gag before taking it off and watching you wipe your drool with amusement in her eyes.

The meeting started shortly after. You toned out the various voices of those dark justiciars and clerics that reported and answered to your mistress.

You knew her well enough, more than any of them could begin to imagine. You knew her before she was the powerful woman that sat above you.

Back when the two of you were equals, standing in battle together and watching each other's back. Back when a simple night orchid made her the happiest you've seen her.

She is never happy these days. Never satisfied with the marks and hickies she leaves upon your skin, nothing sating her deep hunger no matter how long she keeps you chained to her bed.

Today, she is especially pissed.

You buried your face more into the plush of her thigh, growing more and more bored.

Just like always, they shook and cowered in fear in front of her, trembling at the sight of her rage and knowing that displeasing her was akin to displeasing Shar herself.

You surpassed a yawn as they broke down, begging for mercy on their knees. Begging your mistress for a second chance to make up for their shortcomings.

Seeing powerful paladins and clerics breakdown does grow quite tiring after the tenth time.

Only after it ends does your attention come back to reality. After her judgement was passed.

You're pulled by your collar onto her lap, seated on the same thigh you had your head against a while ago. Having your legs spread, the flimsy fabric barely does anything to conceal your dignity. That is if you even had any dignity left.

She dressed you like this for moments like these, for easy access when her blood ran hot and she needed something to squeeze. Someone to squeal.

Were they watching you? Or did they leave the room? You weren't sure, and honestly, you couldn't care. Not when her hand worked so expertly between your legs, not when she slapped the inside of your thigh to get you to spread yourself even more, degrade yourself even more for her.

Your head was thrown back against her shoulder, your body spasming as she milked you dry. Pulling you over the edge with ruthlessness as your cum dripped down onto the floor.

Breathing deeply after being forced into such a strong orgasm so fast and sudden, you tried to steady your shaking limbs.

Somehow this, this is what you never got used to, no matter how many times she makes a public mess out of you.

"Clean your mess." Her fingers pressed against your lips, eyes daring you to disobey as you took them in your mouth. Sucking and licking your own cum from her hand.

She kept them there longer than necessary, making you choke on them and toying with your tongue.

"Good, your brain is still functional after all." She said, gleaming with sadism "Now the floor."

#♡shadowheart anon #♡shart #♡dark shart #shadowheart x reader #tw dark content #♡smut #smut #dead dove do not eat

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trappedinafantasy37 · 25 days

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It’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I can’t sleep so I’m just gonna start rambling about what’s on my mind. You wanna know what that is? Isobel. To be specific, Durge and Isobel.

Since my very first Durge run, it never quite made sense to me as to why the Urge would specifically want you to kill Isobel. Up until that point, the Urge has kinda been impulsive and acted without thought. But with Isobel, that’s very deliberate. Sceleritas Fel literally shows up in the middle of the night and gives you a name and a face. That’s never happened before. With Alfira, she was just a victim of convenience. Same thing with Gale, Arabella, the squirrel the grove, all victims of convenience. None of their deaths were planned before hand, but Isobel’s very much is premeditated and the only one that is.

But, there is something about the interaction with Fel that is super easy to overlook. If you talk to Fel about Isobel before you actually meet Isobel, you can ask him as to why you should kill her. He tries to reason with you by saying that the inn will fall if she dies and it will be a mass spectacle of murder... How the fuck does Fel know that? You aren’t even informed of that possibility of the inn falling upon her death until you meet Isobel herself.

Even if you don’t talk to Fel before hand and you meet Isobel first, the Urge and the narrator constantly keep trying to push you into killing Isobel. Now, the narrator does kinda goad Durge a lot, but not quite as much as when interacting with Isobel.

If you choose not to kill Isobel, Fel shows back up again and tells you of another premeditated murder and that is your companion with the highest affinity, or your romantic partner. Again, very weird. With Isobel, it’s a premeditated murder that you are in control of. But with your favorite person, it’s premeditated, but you’re not in control. But why? Sure, you can believe Fel at his word when he says that your body craves violence and it hasn’t gotten its full when you chose not to kill Isobel. But, it could be anybody. You can satiate your bloodlust on literally anybody. So, why your favorite companion?

It’s almost like the urge can only be satiated with your favorite companion because something, or someone, is punishing you for not killing Isobel. But again, why is Isobel so god damn fucking important?

If you kill Isobel or you kill your romance partner, you are granted the Slayer form. Yay! But there’s a very unique scenario that can happen in which you can be granted the Slayer form without killing Isobel yourself and that is if you allow Shadowheart to become a Dark Justiciar. This, I always found to be super weird. Technically, Shadow is responsible for the death of Isobel, and yet, you get rewarded for it anyway and your urge is considered satiated even though you didn’t directly do anything.

If your approval with Shadow is like 40 or higher, by default, she will always choose to spare the Nightsong on her own. Which means if you are above the 40 threshold, the only way Shadow becomes a DJ is if you tell her to. So, although you didn’t kill Isobel, you become indirectly responsible for her death which is why you get rewarded.

But you love doing the direct killing themselves. You love getting your hands wet with blood and gore. And this indirect route is… well… too clean for you. If anything, it’s Shadow’s hands that are bloody, not yours. So, why is your urge satiated when you didn’t do the killing yourself and the blood isn’t even on your hands?

That’s because the murder of Isobel is a fucking hit job. It’s an assassination. It doesn’t matter how she dies or when she dies, just that she dies. Now, I’m sure that this really isn’t some kind of monumental revelation, but the Urge is Bhaal. In the moments where you lose control, yeah, that’s Bhaal basically possessing you. It makes sense as to why you’re forced to target your favorite person after failing to kill Isobel, Bhaal is pissed that you disobeyed and is trying to teach you a lesson.

But, it also means that, for whatever reason, Bhaal wants Isobel dead. The only explanation I have is because it fucks over Ketheric which by consequence fucks over Myrkul. And we know for sure that the Dead Three and their Chosen entered into this alliance with the intention of betraying the other two eventually. It also pieces together how Fel knows that killing Isobel guarantees the fall of the inn and that’s because Bhaal knows. Marcus has been hanging around the inn for some time so he would already know of Isobel’s importance to the inn and relayed that information to Ketheric. It’s very much possible that Orin could have stumbled upon that info herself, or even pre-lobotomy Durge.

But, Bhaal is the pure definition of chaotic stupid. Killing Isobel in of itself doesn’t necessarily hurt Ketheric. In fact, when she dies, he may not always know. I think the only way that he does know that Isobel is dead is if Marcus ends up taking her corpse back to Moonrise in which Ketheric resurrects her and puts a worm in her brain. At that point, he can guarantee that not only will Isobel always be alive, but she will always be by his side. It’s pretty morbid and fucked up, but it actually ends up strengthening Ketheric.

Anyways, it’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I’ve been awake for 22 hours. Sorry if the rambling is a little incoherent. I just really had to get this shit outta my head. Now, I’m gonna go lay in bed and stare at the ceiling for another 3 hours cause I’m still not tired.

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #dark urge #durge #isobel #isobel thorm #the nightsong #shadowheart #dark justiciar shadowheart #ketheric thorm #orin the red #bhaal #bhaal is a stupid fucking idiot #why the hell did jergal give him god powers

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thegoodgayshit · 8 months

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The magic mirror is the best item ever added to bg3, and you can't tell me I'm wrong.

Not only that, but playing a durge character while romancing Shadowheart just got so much better. And sooo much angstier.

SPOILERS for Dark Urge/Shadowheart Romance under the cut:

I just did a full 180 on the opposites-attract trope from Act I to Act III, and it's all cuz of that damn mirror. And I am living for it.

So I started the game with my Prince Charming-looking, do-gooder tiefling Paladin, Elaina. Her goal? To help save as many innocents as she can. Despite, you know, that odd memory loss and those weird urges for horrific violence (hmm wonder what that's about?)

And then there's her opposite, Shadowheart... who seems unconcerned with do-gooding because of her memory loss and devotion to a vile and very undeniably evil goddess.

Then around the same time in Act II they start to change. Because now they're both going through it and realizing that do gooding is important... but a lot harder than they originally thought. They both start to lean a little too hard into the darkness. After the Butler speaks to Elaina for the third time, her horns get tipped red. The makeup gets darker, and the blond hair slowly gets streaked dark.

And Shadowheart changes too. She gets fixated on her journey to become a Dark Justiciar. She takes no shit and listens to nobody when they tell her it mighttt be a bad idea. The relationship growing between the two of them slows to almost a halt.

Then there's the tipping point. They both get so close to breaking. Shadowheart doesn't kill Nightsong. Elaina doesn't kill Isobel, so instead she almost kills Shadowheart. It's an all-time low for both of them. It's then that we see the roles change.

Durge slowly starts to lose herself to the realization of what they are. Their makeup and jewelry get edgier, and they cover their Paladin tattoo for a beholder. Their blond hair fades entirely to dark brown with streaks of grey from the stress. One of their topaz eyes turns blood red.

And Shadowheart is doing the opposite. She's freeing herself from Shar and rediscovering her lost faith in Selune. She lightens her hair, and smiles more. She gives durge encouragement to beat their blood curse because she really has become optimistic enough that she believes Elaina can. It's exactly what that blond haired Prince Charming Durge would have done for her in Act I.

Because god damn it, they both have worked too hard to lose one another to darkness again. They just got out of that boat. Shadowheart knows better than anybody she needed that Paladin to free herself from Shar. So she's going to be there to help free Elaina from Bhaal. Cinematic poetry.

And to think, all of these awesome cinematic parallels for a romance came together because Larian put the magic mirror in the game. God, I love BG3.

#baldurs gate 3 #shadowheart #baldurs gate oc #dark urge #shadowheart x tav #shelby speaks

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bg3sinbin · 3 months

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Alright so I told myself I wouldn't post anything about it... but I still can't stop thinking about the A!Astarion kisses, Tav/Durge's face during it, and the stupid blow up around it. So here we go

Warnings: This is long and rambly and contains all kinds of spoilers. I am an A!Astarion lover. I will not be responding to discourse on this post. I do not care if you disagree. Make your own vent post.

OKAY so the brunt of the arguments I keep trying to ignore seeing surrounding this are how the expressions are "immersion breaking" for A!A fans, and everyone else clowning on them (sometimes rightfully so tho, ngl) because "the game gives the player expressions all the time! why are u mad now? do u just want ur Tav/Durge to be a blank slate?? lmao idiot" which ??? okay it feels like ur purposefully missing the point.

Yeah, actually sometimes this game gives my Durge some really ooc reactions. And it does, in fact, bother me. That being said, that is to be expected when u take an oc u had for like ten years and try to stick them in a pre-programmed video game. Things are gonna get ooc sometimes.

It also though, is usually smaller moments. Or things that happen Once and then u move on. Conversations where I go "hmmm. he wouldn't say any of these. oh well." or moments where he reacts negatively to terrible things that this evil bastard would normally laugh at. OH. WELL.

Now here's where my frustration actually come in. This game does a really good job, probably a better job than anything else I've played, at letting u play an interesting evil char. Something more than just "I am Rude, Aggressive, and A Dick To Everyone" and thus being punished for it gameplay wise.

I can play The Dark Urge, literal child of the god of murder, a canon necrophiliac, cannibalistic, gore freak that was going to flatten the entire world. There is a whole ass plot line and ending (multiple achievements included!) surrounding doing just that. There's all kinds of nasty interactions/plot options programmed in.

Yet, to the best of my memory, my Durge doesn't look horrified when we choose to slaughter the grove. He doesn't look horrified when we choose to kill the Dame Aylin, or Isobel. He isn't Obviously Distraught when we choose to help Astarion complete the ritual, or when we kill Shadowheart's parents, or become an Unholy Assassin of Bhaal.

To my knowledge, the player character isn't made to look afraid when kissing Dark Justiciar!Shadowheart, nor when they are literally poisoned by kissing Minthara. Sure, u CAN be offended about it in the convo with her after, but its still ur choice as the player.

I mean shit, they even patched in (in that very same patch) a positive, supportive reaction from ur evil partners at the end when u take over the nether brain! (at least for A!Astarion, and Minthara) so now when u do the evil thing that u and ur evil partner have been talking about all game, they don't suddenly change their opinion the second u actually do it.

And I really appreciate that about bg3. I can make evil choices and get interesting outcomes rather than the game just locking me out of all content actually made for that quest. Like ffs u can only get Minthara's romance scene if u slaughter dozens of innocents.

THIS GAME REWARDS U FOR DOING THE BAD THING. And like the evil options do usually have drawbacks and/or are less fleshed out than the good ones, but there are whole ass plots arcs u will never see if u only play good chars. This game makes playing an evil character interesting.

So why is it that I can do all that, and make/have my Durge react (mostly) accordingly, yet the moment the partner I chose acts controlling, now is when my characters feelings are being decided for me?

I can spend the whole game hearing Astarion talk about how spawn are controlled, how all vampires want is power, and I can say to his face "yes! this character wants that! turn me!" and yet somehow... what? the creators think I didn't know?

It just genuinely doesn't make sense to me. Like I can choose, through dialogue, that my Durge is power hungry, and very into the idea of being Astarion's pretty little lap dog. He knew what he was signing up for! And yet he looks terrified when his vampire bf (who has been feeding on him all game) bites his lip?? really?

Idk I just have some really weird feelings on some of the ways they try to Really Emphasize that u made the wrong choice for Astarion specifically, and this just exemplifies that.

Either do the rest of ur characters this service, make all of them (make every choice in the game) a moral lesson for the player to learn, where u hold their hand and say "u didn't listen to what they actually needed :c u could have done the good thing but u didn't :c"

Or let me play my evil bastard. And let me revel in it.

#ascended astarion #is the ONLY tag i will be putting this in #commiserate with me fellow evil bastards #this post is not for the rest of the fandom lmfao #is this a bad idea to post at all? probably fghjgfdghj #but unfortunately i have Opinions

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