mjuuuk

[mjuuuk]

Raphael: "I am, as the kids say, awake."

Haarlep: "Do you mean woke?"

Raphael: "I did mean 'woke' but it's grammatically incoherent."

[mjuuuk]

I'm sorry

#Balph

[mjuuuk]

Haarlep/Raphael

I FIRMLY believe the Larian artists used the Lucifer sculptures as reference in making H/R the Cambion--

#very tempted to draw him as the horny lucifer statue

[mjuuuk]

Raphael and his weaponized mortality

I think it’s pretty clear from that “I am no mortal!” quote that his mortal ancestry isn’t exactly a source of pride for him. However, I still think that he utilizes it to it’s fullest. As I have talked about in an earlier post about the whole problematic situation with Haarlep: Raphael knows how to turn shit into gold. I definitely feel like this “pretending to be mortal”-thing is a big part of his character, the more I think on it. Here’s some of my thoughts:

His smell: Weird to start off with, I know but it’s the thing that actually led me to think on this. I read somewhere that cambions are entirely carnivorous, which means they have a predatory stench to them. This is interesting because Yurgir describes him as a “perfumed trickster”. He covers up the thing that would biologically make a mortal think “danger”.

His questionable poetry: While I do think it’s something he genuinely enjoys; I also think it seems like a bit of an unorthodox interest for a devil (I could be wrong). What is interesting is if you bring Karlach to the entrance to the mausoleum, she comments on his poetry and he answers something along the lines of “I’ll admit, it’s not my main interest…not by any stretch”. Poetry is something that speaks to our feelings, so it’s not weird that a devil whose emotional life is a bit different from that of a mortal, would be ‘bad’ at it. Even though the poetry that Raphael recites usually leans towards the macabre, it still sort of humanizes him that he would have an interest in such things. It is also an attempt to speak directly to our feelings (fear often in his case). The way that he says it’s not his main interest also points to the fact that he literally uses it as a tool. I think it’s the same with his theatrical nature: it’s simply him playing a human. I really do wonder how he would interact with another devil if there was no one else in the room.

His ’angelic’ complexion: In Last Light Inn, if you reveal that he is a devil to Mol, he says something along the lines of “She’d never take your word for it…not with my angelic complexion”. I could be wrong, but I’ve also read a few places that when the Flymms (Gortash’s parents) signed over Gortash, it was to a warlock. Some places I’ve read that it was a warlock OF Raphael’s, others say that the warlock WAS Raphael. This makes me wonder: How often does he show his true nature to clients before they’ve already signed, like he did with us? Or at the very least, he waits to reveal his nature until the person can’t run or are out of options. It’s then interesting to think about how transparent he is about his nature to us in comparison right from the get-go. I believe this is because he truly believes that we need the hammer, and thus there’s not as much of a reason to pretend.

I just think it’s interesting and I think it is probably the most terrifying thing about him. It puts the “I am no mortal” quote into another perspective for me. It’s who he is beneath it all that peeks through for a moment. It must also be infuriating to him that the very source of his success is due to how good he is at playing into his mortal side. It also begs the question of how much of all of this pretending has bled into his life over the years, because we see that he still talks sort of poetically (and even almost emotionally) in his private diaries. His allegiance is to the devil side of himself, but I really do wonder how much he has to suppress small aspects of the mortal side.

#bg3 meta #really good takes. tips my hat to you

[mjuuuk]

Just had the fucking wild realization that some of the things my mom always called me as a kid was “mus/musser” (mouse) and “musling” (literally meaning little mouse). Raphael calling us little mouse hits a bit differently now. Was I just doomed to like this bastard?

#no seriously i feel half of the raphy fandom are actually native german speakers whats up with that😭 #feel like it's a language that completely and utterly embraced the word mouse and its vibe. plus we're all rotten in the brain #like. i'm 24 and still get called Mausi/Mäuschen by my friends #i'm a maus. you're a maus. we're all just mausis #deutsche 🤝 Mausigkeit #ehrlich gesagt bissl eine missed opportunity dass Raphael den HC in der deutschen übersetzung nicht einfach “mausi” nennt #würd den vibe serven

[mjuuuk]

this house of hope, your tomb.

this was drawn in the aftermath of me completing the house of hope so i was being swallowed by a lot of feelings okay

so what if he's the devil rick at least the devil has a job, at least he's active in the community

#gorgeous art!!!!

[mjuuuk]

[mjuuuk]

Ngl I get so horribly sad every time I think about this.

The fact alone that they're already essentially missing every physical aspect an infant needs for survival right from the very start - namely their mother - is so outright tragic. No comfort, no warmth, no food, unless their fiendish parent comes to rescue (and care) for them. Which I'd assume is more the exception than the rule, since many cambions are conceived in...not very good-natured circumstances. (Which also raises the point - Would their mothers even care for them if they lived? As things stand a cambion is possibly detested/unwanted by both its parents. Unwanted by the entire universe if you will. Please excuse me as i go sob).

There are probably many cambion infants that were left to die alongside their mothers. And even the ones that get to live in the hells aren't better off, since the hells' societal structures sure aren't a place to properly raise and fulfill a child's (emotional) needs. They're practically set up by nature to become what we know them as.

You know what really just fucks me up?

The fact that cambions are essentially doomed to a life of loneliness. If they get stranded on the Material Plane they won’t get accepted by society and even if they grow up in the Hells, it’s even worse because other fiends will be straight up violent towards them. A lot of them don’t even get to grow old (by cambion standards) because everyone is just out to get them.

The fact that cambions can in rare cases be good, but then their only living parent would disown them. Also, imagine how difficult it would be to be a good person after an upbringing like that. They’re described as “bitter and twisted” but honestly, who wouldn’t be if they grew up that way?

My point is that I want to give Raphael a hug. He would scorch my ass before I even had a chance to, but it would be worth it.

#always makes me think of that one horrible historical psychological experiment #where they took babies and cared for their physical needs but didn't talk to them or cuddled them at all #and they all either developed mental disorders or died #literally how i imagine growing up in the hells. competition right from the start #call me a villain apologist but i SHALL smooch raphael endlessly and i will not be stopped #devil man definitely needs a hug #ramblings

[mjuuuk]

RAPHAEL.

[mjuuuk]

👑graphic design is my passion (except it is actually my profession irl LOL)

#not saying he has a head made for putting cat ears on #but he definitely does #evil lil meow meow

[mjuuuk]

I would love to hear your Dad Raphael headcanons! 🖤

Anon, are you sure you have the right address? I am not so sure. Is it because you saw a cute cambion baby art? :-)

I'm writing Dad!Raphael, but he's not… well… let's just say if you're expecting cuteness and fluff, skip the whole thing below.

At his core, Raphael is a narcissist. They don't usually see their children as separate beings, but as a continuation of themselves, their ambitions, desires and ideas. Raphael will be quite pleasant to his children as long as they do his bidding; otherwise very unpleasant.

Raphael will place the utmost importance on education. He will pay for the best of the best tutors, especially in rhetoric, music, languages, law, etc. He will be shower them with praise should his children succeed, and merciless in his criticism when they prove to be anything but the very best.

Raphael will actively encourage competition and rivalry among his offspring, both as a training ground for Hells and just for the fun of it. He will show favouritism.

He will be very generous with gifts. Birthday parties will be the kind where everyone drowns in balloons and the servants have to make several trips to deliver all the presents.

He will, from time to time, have fits of inspiration and play the best dad in the hells for a few days.

He won't beat his children for fun (yeah we are at that level of discourse), as he was beaten as a child by Mephistopheles & his circle. He may order to administer disciplinary spanking, but probably not personally and nothing serious.

Haarlep will not be allowed to come near the children. When the children reach puberty, I also think that Raphael would rather hire professionals or use debtors to take care of their 'education' like in good old noble houses than let Haarlep do it.

All in all, he'll be proud to be a much better father than Mephistopheles was/is, and that's true, but that base line is so low that it's buried ten feet under concrete.

#THISSS #god i have so many dadphael hcs but a lot of them very much align with these #ngl i do love and indulge in soft raph but ultimately he’s still shaped by the hells and will act accordingly #which isn’t to say there aren’t sweet moments #but there sure are dark ones too

[mjuuuk]

Fictional men who have the "it's ok to murder but it's never ok to disrespect your wife" energy >>>>

[mjuuuk]

I wonder if Raphael shaves or if he just snaps it away. I think seeing him with just a bit of a stubble could make me pass out tbh.

#i say he shaves #simply bc magically snapping it away is too boring

[mjuuuk]

i HATE how well this fits😭

I’ve been struck with a sudden and horrifying thought, if we assume this to be true:

4E: “While cambions are immortal they age just like a standard human until they reach the age of 20, at that point they cease aging”.

… does Haarlep look this young because that’s how Raphael really looks like?

My daddy issues do not like this thought.

#modern AU in which Raph is the young italian heir to his eccentric fathers' multimillion business #raphael bg3

[mjuuuk]

😏

#pookie #no literally why is he so cute #<3

[mjuuuk]

Ooooo that’s interesting, didn’t know that!

Another point I kinda forgot: He seemingly *is* self-conscious about his age, since he made Haarlep a more ‚photoshopped‘ version of himself - There’s a really good post somewhere on here comparing the two directly, but basically Haarlep is generally younger, has no wrinkles/eyebags and a straighter nose. So I actually doubt he’d make himself look middle-aged on purpose..

But maybe the ‚stops ageing‘ thing is true for him and just set in in his 40s instead of 20s?

I think I do personally like the ‚ages very very slowly but will eventually die as well‘ version best, though. Allows for the glorious scenario of white haired grandpa Raph as well as for a lot of angst and inner conflict on the topic of mortality.

also, thinking about it a little more - is it stated anywhere if raphael is immortal? i always just assumed he isn’t (just ages veeery slowly. girl drop the skincare routine) because of his cute lil wrinkles but i could be mistaken

#ramblings #now thinking of Tav also somehow prolonging their lifespan and Raph and them living as a cranky old couple #sipping tea on the balcony while knitting and enjoying the view of avernus #😭

[mjuuuk]

Raphael and Haarlep, catching Tav breaking into the HoH:

Make Raphael the villain of a classic barbie movie please, it's what he was made for

#this is the first thing my brain provided upon the thought i apologize deeply #the AUGGHH is so very haarlep coded😭 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 raphael #bg3 haarlep